The Dead Chronicles Part Ten: Coda
by TerminalMadness83
Summary: What surprises await the final chapter of "The Dead Chronicles"?
1. Prologue: And The Gods Shook

**AND THE GODS SHOOK…**

_Came the dawn,_

_the dead rose from the grave,_

_came the night,_

_then society did but cave,_

_came the day,_

_the living wittled away;_

_the final breath,_

_and the last gasp of death,_

_now this is their land,_

_all dead by their hands;_

_they became the new race,_

_normality's new face,_

_and we became the ghosts,_

_and then the infection's host,_

_and the survivors that did but live,_

_and gave all that they could give,_

_they then rose again,_

_and lived to walk the Earth once more,_

_showing it was not their end;_

_those that chose, became warriors to fight for right,_

_those that didn't, were just survivors fighting for their life,_

_they crept upon us like locusts,_

_the silent hush of death,_

_eating everything in sight,_

_society took its last breath,_

_but those who became warriors,_

_rose from the smoke and continued to fight;_

_though the civilization was extinct and gone,_

_we all banded together to continue on,_

_the roughnecks, criminals, the outcasts, the stealers, _

_the officers, the children, average people, and healers,_

_though the petty squabbles,_

_and racial difference kept us human to the core,_

_we decided that they, the common enemy, could walk no more,_

_though the history books never counted this war,_

_the struggle for life is what we fought for,_

_this kept us together, through and through,_

_and we decided we had only one sure thing to do,_

_we then formed to create a small band,_

_and this, this was our last stand._


	2. One: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

**April 20, 2008:**  
**Years since outbreak in U.S.:** Four  
**Estimated population worldwide:** Six to Eight thousand loosely.  
**Estimated deceased worldwide:** Over Four billion  
**Estimated Living Dead:** Unknown.  
**Military Outposts still active worldwide: **Three. Presumably  
**Ratio of Dead to Living:** Thirty-six hundred to one…

Two weary figures arose from the sheet of smoke that brushed over the streets and sewers along the windows like veils.

"Those things," Ross said, "They're near."

"How can you tell?" asked Ana.

"The vultures," he explained slightly looking up, "They're circling in the air."

She looked up clutching her rifle, "Maybe it's for us."

"No," he nodded slightly winded, "It's for them."

"How do you know?"

"They started buzzing over us over an hour ago."

"So, what do we do?"

"Just keep walking."

It didn't matter how many times she'd looked upon this landscape of ruins. Wrecked buildings, shattered windows, empty streets with motion only of paper strewn about twirling in the wind, the destroyed cars, and skyscrapers still smoking even years after the fateful end of the world, it was shocking. Ana had looked upon these cityscapes every day, of every waking moment, but still was in sheer awe and horror. Many times during their venture, she'd felt compelled to run back to the boat, but even at sea it was all a dead end. Even in the calm of the ocean, peace of mind was nowhere to be found.

Stuck out in the ocean one day, as the fog had cleared, Ana could see the thousands of boats scattered along the waters without a single hint of life, and whom ever were still alive had presumably hid in the bowels of the boats for fear of being seen by criminals or the dead. They looked like tombstones, all immobile, and cluttered together without a single ounce of life. But every now and then, when they listened closely, a few of the boats moaned with the dead inside. Some would rise from the bowels to look out on to the boats, and Ana and Ross hid below out of sight to keep them from signaling their sight. They'd made it this far without being attacked, but who knew how long they had left in fleeting safety.

That day after they fled the fortress in Florida, Ana and Ross barely made it out alive, and left behind a slew of friends that they continued to talk about weeks after. Those few that managed to seep out from the fortress and out to safety were never heard from again. Ross longed to wonder where they'd gone, but there was no way to know. All he could do was hope. They launched out at sea, and every so often would emerge for air listening to the quiet of water every now and then interrupted by the seagull's screech that cut through the deafening silence like a knife. Ross was never fond to hear the seagulls, but Ana welcomed their presence making sure to soak up every bit of sound they could throw her way. For they were beacons of normality, and signs that not all was lost. If the birds still cawed during the day, it meant that the world was still spinning just the same.

They talked about everything on the boat Steve left behind. Favorite foods, favorite songs, and even the story of how they met their significant others. Ana saw the hand prints Kenneth left behind every day. The nights were cold, and they'd nestle in the bedroom attempting to sleep, and the days were warm and exhausting, with varying degrees of weather. Sometimes the wind was so harsh, they were sure the boat would turn over, and sometimes the wind was unbearable, even with Ross learning how to work the boat. Everyday was a battle against cabin fever, claustrophobia, and sheer boredom. They'd been given a free pass and had no idea what to do with it. They had all the time in the world, their lives, and still, they had no idea how to proceed.

What they'd feared the minute they stopped off the boat, became an inevitability. There was no gas in the boat, and they had no idea where to steer, but Ross stood at controls everyday watching the water and looked for a sign of real life. Once in a while, they'd dock somewhere, and loot a store for small supplies to keep them from starving to death. They'd eat old cakes, and stale snacks, while drinking lukewarm water anxiously. They'd finally found some actual food one day, and it'd finished quickly. But eventually the stores ran out, and the boat drifted to a city dock. There was no fighting it. They had to go in and find another way. They appeared from out of the smoke from the engine of a car on the road side, and Ana panted with exhaustion.

"I'm tired."

"So am I," Ross replied wiping a blanket of sweat from his forehead.

"I want to sit."

"So do I."

"I want to sleep."

"So do I." She expected a solution. From a man without any. All he could do was keep watch and answer to assure her of his presence of mind.

"How many bullets do we have left?"

"We have enough. Granted we're not ambushed. And then we'll get creative." There was a long silence. All that was heard was the jingling of wind chimes in front of a partially destroyed pharmacy front, oddly untouched, and Ana's soft panting and drop of her feet. "Can't we stop for a few minutes?"

"No."

"It's been two days without any of them in sight."

"It's also been two months without any _**human**_ in sight."

"Why, again, couldn't we stay at the boat?"

"For what? It was a dead end," he explained, "The boat stopped at a dock, how funny is that? We couldn't have stayed in that boat anymore anyway. We would have had to leave it for food and supplies, again."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why?" He finally looked over to her. She shrugged silently. Glass shattered in the distance. They saw one of them emerging from a door.

It was unaware of their presence, so they continued walking without much of a hesitation. Ana was wrong; it was now the first in two days. That was their tendency, she knew. Every time it felt as if they were gone, they always came back and seeped in somewhere. Their guards were now up. Where one loomed, many followed. It was a new unspoken rule of the world. Where one loomed, many followed. Ross was still trying to figure out how they signaled to one another. He knew they spoke to each other, and communicated, but how?

Was it a small signal from their soft moans? Was it a specific smell from the humans? An awareness of a presence? Or pure animal instinct? Perhaps the living dead possessed a dormant instinct they weren't aware of. It was confusing. Even without a brain, even without eyes, even without ears, they knew when humans were near. Ana had been worried about Ross' state of mind for the last week. Though she was basically sound, or at least she thought so, she'd worried about Ross. He was cold. Cold as stone. Never emotional. Never reactionary. He'd walk, and walk, talk only for her sake, and then shoot without a single flinch.

Maybe, she thought, it was the new normal for that world. One unspoken rule among the survivors: keep quiet. Don't talk unless absolutely necessary. Don't make a sound. Don't cough. Don't breathe too hard. Don't laugh or whisper. And over the course of the three months spent on that boat, Ross taught Ana the lingo of the military. The hand signals. The whistles. The visual signals. Almost like a drill sergeant he taught her tirelessly, and she'd mastered it and sign language for when necessary, but she communicated with him only to keep him close emotionally. A verification of his humanity that she needed but was not getting.

"It's getting cold," she whispered.

"Yep."

"Can we eat?"

"Not yet." There was a short silence.

"Ross-?"

"-Ana." He stopped, looking her in the eyes. "Come on. You know as much as I do what we're supposed to be doing here. Why? Why do you need to do this? We're only two people in this place. You know what we should and shouldn't be doing. One thing is talking. Talking is not only wasting energy, but giving them a signal. Okay?" She sighed with a slight nod of apology. She couldn't explain to him why she was making small talk. Even _**she**_ couldn't understand why. She knew well and good that she couldn't talk much but did it anyway. She'd grown embarrassed at herself. He patted her shoulder with a slight sympathetic confirmation and continued walking.

Maybe she wasn't as mentally sound as she thought. He'd grown cold, and she was back at denial. Talking up a storm in a dire situation. What a fucked up predicament. The tables were turned. A sane man humoring an insane woman. A sane woman humoring an insane man. They'd continued walking for about an hour, through the empty landscapes. Ana searched the rooftops for signs of life. Early the day before she'd spotted two woman, most likely in their forties, hopping ledges. It was a hopeful but sad sight. So close but so far. Everything from there on in was so close but so far. She'd seen them, they'd seen her, and with mere nods, they'd parted ways.

Almost a "Hi, I'd like to meet you, but we're all fucked" gesture. Over the course of those four years, the numbers of survivors had whittled down, and the numbers of the walking dead had risen. Ross had to make an estimate that perhaps only about a ten thousand people were left on the world. In a population of 5.8 billion, that was basically no one alive. Night had fallen, and they'd found a small crawlspace that led in to a small hole to nowhere. The rubble that fell from the building above formed a sort of solid cave.

It stank, and it was wet, but it was safe, and the hole was small enough where the dead couldn't see them, but big enough for easy escape. Ross had covered the hole with more bricks and concrete and for now they were safe. Ana sat in a corner resting, and Ross kept his ear alert. Hiding in plain sight. Something he'd learned in the military. Ross held up a hand to her silently and held up a can of vegetables. She nodded in hunger and took it. He held one finger to his mouth. A signal that didn't need exercising. She leaned back and ate. He signed her with his hands, "I'm-sorry-there's-isn't-more." She nodded and shrugged. She signed, "It's-enough-to-keep-me-going." He gave a slight smirk and sighed softly.

In the makeshift cave, Ana looked up and could see the smoke tattered skies above. Four years later, and the skies were still dark gray from the fires. It was the biggest fire they've ever seen, a nationwide worldwide fire that shook the world beneath the hell grip of the dead. She could just make out the dark blue of the sky that faded to dim as night approached, and felt the dirt beneath her nails, and neck. It was one of the worst feelings she'd ever had. No bath's in at least two months, and slim portions of food that could barely get them by. Ross became anxious looking for stores with food, and Ana attempted to hide her lingering hunger from him.

He slid the book bag against the wall and lay down with his AK-47 tucked under his armpit. He gave a slight restrained sigh and closed his eyes. Ana made quick work of the can and placed it gently in the corner and slid beside Ross putting her arm on his chest falling asleep to the sounds of his breathing. It'd become a new routine to put her to sleep, and he looked for any excuse to touch her. Luckily, the black rain had stopped. Four months later, and there'd been a thankful drought.

Halfway into the night, Ross began to snore and Ana awoke muffling him. He awoke tearing her hand away. She held her finger to her mouth silently and pointed to her open mouth. He nodded in confirmation and turned to his side falling quickly back to sleep. There it was. The ocean. Not just the ocean, but a cliff. A gigantic cliff which loomed over a crashing clashing set of waves. Ana found herself standing at the edge. She looked out onto the blue-purple waves crashing below her and felt the droplets of cold water slamming against her toes. It was relieving and almost refreshing and she gave a gasp looking into the cold water, feeling the mist of the wave brush against her face, and she felt them behind her. Her friends, and family, there. And she gave a large smile.

"I just don't want to fail. Not this time."

"You won't," Ana assured Michael, "Look where we are."

"For now," he sighed, "But… what happens when we start turning on one another?" She forced a smile, "They're out there. We're in here."

"I remember when they took my daughter away," he frowned, "My wife and… this counselor took her. All I could think of was "I failed her"… I could have done more to help her. To make sure she wasn't taken away. And now all I'm think about is… what if I fail this time?" He scoffed.

"I'm thinking that, too." She gazed down with a sign of sheer pressure, "But hey… if you watch my back, I'll watch yours."

"Deal," he smiled. He chuckled, "God, I wish I'd met you first." They gave a shy laugh, unable to look over at each other. Ana didn't want to admit it right there and then, but she was thinking the same thing.

Two weeks later, Michael and Ana found themselves listening to the muzac while the rest of the group slept, they were in the lobby, and "Smoke Gets in your Eyes" suddenly cut through the night.

"Oh, I love this song," Michael gasped.

"What's that?"

"Smoke Gets in your Eyes," he explained, "Come on." He stood up holding out her hand. "What?"

"Dance with me."

"You know how to dance?"

"Yeah, I learned from my grandmother, come on," he smiled.

"Okay," she laughed nervously. She took his hand, and he pulled her up. They met bodies and turned her head giving a smile, "This reminds me of when my brother Peter tried to teach me how to dance."

"You had a brother?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "He was a firefighter. In New York…"

"How old was he?"

"Almost forty, the last time we talked," she scoffed, "I remember, it was the night before my Sophomore dance at my high school, and I was so nervous. So he drags me down stairs kicking and screaming, and insists I'm going to learn how to dance." She nodded, "I was asked by this gorgeous senior, and he wanted me to wow this guy." Michael chuckled as they spun slowly along the floor, "So, after thirty minutes, I kept stepping on his feet, so he finally picks me up with his thick arms, and we danced the rest of "Close to You" with me on his feet."

Michael chuckled, "That's pretty sweet."

"Well, it wasn't an actual teaching method, he just said "If you're going to keep stepping on my feet, you might as well be on them."

They laughed, "So we danced through two songs with me on his feet. This petite little blond and this huge guy."

Michael chuckled, "Sounds like a good brother."

"He was great," she said glassy eyed, "I didn't learn how to dance, but he didn't care… he knew I was horrible, but… he just wanted to dance with me. I found out the night after my prom that he was moving to New York. I cried for days."

"And he became a firefighter."

"Yeah," she whispered, "I don't know, there was always something about our family. My mom was a veterinarian, my dad was a teacher, I became a nurse, my brother became a firefighter…" There was a long silence, and Ana sighed near tears.

"I'm sorry, this was a bad idea."

"No, no," she said with a soft whimper, wiping the tears from her eyes, "It's okay, it's okay. This was great. I just miss him… I wonder about him."

"He's probably leading some big safe haven right now."

"You think?"

"Yeah, if he's what you say he is, and if he's anything like _**you**_, he's going to live through all of this bullshit."

"Yeah," she smirked, "That's the lie that keeps me going." There was a long silence as the song continued, "Want to stop?"

"No," she whispered, "Let's keep going. I have to learn sometime."

During the dawn, Ana awoke first, gazing half asleep at the purple sky seeping in through the small hole. She looked out the hole and heard a soft music in the distance. It was alluring, but haunting in its ways. It was "Smoke Gets in your Eyes," and it was like a whole new song to her as she listened. She'd become almost desperate to see where it came from. Survivors! It was survivors playing it to attract the humans as a sign they were alive. A part of her felt the need to climb out and look for it, but her common sense got the better of her. She'd looked out from the hole and saw a music store in the distance. An old record player turned slowly. And then she saw her.

Standing over it, both hands at the sides of it gazing down blankly at the spinning record. What a fucking insane sight to behold. All sorts of words rushed through her head. What the fucking hell is this? Are they actually playing music? Did she actually put that record there? Did she know what she was listening to if anything? What in god's name? Was it a trick to get survivors to come out from their hiding places? No. Now she's really going insane. None of them were smart enough to do that. But then she saw it look around for a minute and then tear the record away with a violent screech. It was the most frightening scene she'd ever witnessed. Pretending to be human, or devising a trap? It'd stayed on her mind for the rest of the day, and she knew it'd stay on her mind for the rest of her life.

She and Ross finally drifted off to sleep that night. The longest night. Huddled together. Never making a single sound. Though, they weren't aware of the child corpse who'd gone sniffing around where they'd slept. He nosed around for a few minutes and then drifted into an old furniture store. Luckily for them they weren't aware, nor would they ever be aware. Maybe it was best. Funny how it was utterly dark underneath the rubble together, the sounds of silence utterly deafening.

There really was no such thing as silence though. Even when everyone had died, and the carnage stopped, it still wasn't silent. Ana often wondered if silence was as mythical as god. Even when there was no sound, a can always rattled along the wind, wind chimes jingled causing a few of them to look up in astonishment, and where Ross and Ana slept, wind whistled beneath the small holes underneath the concrete slabs. However, where it had been darkest, the light had managed to seep in through the crevices and they awoke that morning in the usual daze. Part confusion, part disappointment, part silence. "You're ready?" Ross whispered in a barely audible voice. Ana nodded.

"Do we go East or West this time?"

"East. Into the outskirts. Near the country."

"Country?" she asked, "Is that safe?"

"Is anything?" he argued. "The country is safer. I heard that cities were the most dangerous places. We're lucky we had a full nights sleep here."

"Feels like dawn." She deduced looking up at the light green sky tattered with black clouds. "Best time to go," he declared. He'd finished packing their bags. "Okay, you start removing the cover, and I'll get all the bags ready here."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. You need a break," he explained, "Let's get going." A brick rolled down a slope, and then another and Ana's hand peaked out. She stuck her head out looking at emptiness, dead emptiness, and deserted ruins and crawled out. Ross stood up holding Ana's bag and climbed up. He'd lost his footing suddenly and slid down kicking the can. The can gave a mighty rattle rolling into the corner. Ana gasped holding her mouth and looked around. There was a brief silence. Ross cursed silently and began crawling back up. One. Then two. Then three. Then twelve. Then thirty. All crawling from the buildings and stores, the groans rising. They'd caught the scent. Ana gasped anxiously. Ross quickly crawled out and tossed her bag to her. "Come on, come on," she urged.

"Start running!" he screamed. She hesitated and dashed through the streets. Ross crawled out and slid down the slope. They were approaching quicker than he'd realized and he was being quickly surrounded. Ana dashed by them and down the street, "Ross?" she screamed.

"I'm behind you!" he replied running on her tail. They'd formed circles grabbing at them from everywhere, but Ross was approached more heavily. He'd found a small hole and zipped past them and finally caught up with Ana. The crowds of hundreds quickly formed. Ross and Ana were practically blurs running as fast as they could. Ross thanked the gods they'd slept for a good seven hours that night.


	3. Two: Loose Change

They ran for an hour past the dead until the groans stopped and they'd lost them. Thankfully, neither were caught or bitten and Ross' instincts were wrong. What were they waiting for? If in fact they'd been in the shadows, why didn't they surround them in the first place? Were they hiding? Or waiting for their move? Ross and Ana had lost them, and they'd seemed to have given up, Ross staggered panting and wiping his forehead. Ana gave a heavy cough bending over and nearly collapsed. They could see the figures moving in the distance watching them.

"I'm such a fucking moron," he whispered panting.

"That was my fault," she argued, breathless, "I left the can there."

"No," he said putting her arm on her shoulder, "It wasn't. Trust me. I lost my footing." She panted leaning down.

"How many were there, anyway?" she was surprised.

"It seemed like... two-hundred." He looked back at the landscape, "I didn't want to stick around to take a head count, I'll tell you right now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she panted, "I'm just… so tired."

"You're looking pale."

"I'm fine. I promise." He nodded. She sighed amused and put her arm around his waist. "Want to know something frightening?" he asked.

"No, but shoot."

"It looked like they were hiding."

"No."

"Yes."

"That's insane, Ross."

"Ana." he stopped. "They were hiding all along in those stores and doorways. I mean I'm not an expert in human behavior but it looked like they were trying to lull us in to a false sense of security, and when we'd made a move on they moved in."

"That's impossible."

"Ana, they were hiding." he said it definite. "They were waiting for us. They could have taken us whenever they wanted."

"What are you getting at?"

"They were trying to trap us." he declared, "Make the place look safe and deserted and then when we decided to split up and scavenge, get us separately and then we'd have been fucked."

"No." she walked up, "That's insane-"

"-Ana-"

"-That's insane! Ross, this place is getting to us, that's it."

"Ana, they planned that attack."

"Just shut up!" She said pacing around, "I don't want to listen to this now!" She rubbed her temples. "They were organized, they were strategic and they knew how to get me when I was in that hole." She huffed with a nod.

"What part of shut the fuck up, do you not understand? Huh?"

"Don't turn on me, Ana."

"Just shut your goddamn mouth, okay?" she muttered lunging at him, "I'm serious!" He sighed silently backing up, "Ana…?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" she said with a quiver, "I'm-I'm sorry… it's just…"

"I know."

"God… we were there all night!" she exclaimed, "All fucking night! Those monsters! They…" she huffed, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"How are they doing it then?"

"I don't know, Ana." he shrugged. "They're getting smarter. Remember back at the base? These things, they're evolving, I swear to fucking Christ, they're evolving."

"What could it be then?"

"Maybe-some outside force, maybe it's a human controlling them, maybe dying wasn't the last step, maybe one of them has wised up, or maybe," He threw his supplies to the ground with a cry, "Maybe god will not-stop-fucking-us!" He shouted out into the air and settled down. He panted crossing his arms. She walked over to him rubbing his shoulders, "Its okay."

"No, it's not," he sighed, "I can see where we were. They stopped chasing us. They went back into hiding. See?" He pointed up ahead, "They're trapping people there! You see? You see?" He stomped his foot down angrily, "Fucking Christ, who knows how many survivors they caught you know?" He gave a loud grunt stomping his foot again, "All those fucking people!"

"Stop," she pleaded wrapping her arms around him, "Stop."

"Ana, I-!" He gave a sharp grunt.

"—Just stop," she whispered in his ear, "Stop… don't think about it," she said grabbing him, "If you think about it, you'll drive yourself crazy." They embraced silently. "But all those people," he whispered.

"But, _**we**_ didn't get caught." She assured him.

"I know," he replied.

"You can't lose it," she pleaded, "Not now. I need you. Please. Please, come back. I can't be here alone." He nodded near tears.

"I-I, I..."

"-We'll get through this, you hear me?"

"What if we don't?"

"Then it wasn't for nothing."

"Why not just find a safe place, and just end it, you know?"

"There's no point."

"Really?" he scoffed. "And what's the point in this? Haven't had a bath in months, I'm growing a beard, and I'm tired. What's the point of that?"

"We can't stop."

"I know." He sighed. "I'm just desperate. I'm losing it. I'm really losing it." She nodded patting his back.

"We have to find a car."

"And a lot of gas." She caressed his back and kissed him.

"We got to leave," he said walking off, "They'll find us."

"Okay," she replied picking up her backpack. "And I kind of like your beard." He chortled looking away. Desperation had set in. They'd denied it, but once Ross, the levelheaded one had admitted it and nearly broke down much to her fright, Ana's defenses were down and she'd nearly burst when he walked off.

This wasn't the Ross she fell for at the base. She was still in love with him, but he'd changed. After nearly a year on the boat, and two weeks on land, he'd become much more different. His hair had begun to grow, and his beard was growing fast, he'd also developed dark circles under his eyes and an utterly worn but dazed grimace that signaled a man ready to die. Ana had remained basically the same except for her hair which was messier and longer. They were both changed people, though they hadn't admitted it until now. Ross had no idea what to do anymore. And they sat on the side of the road off the freeway and thought for a while.

Occasionally one of them drifted to them, and Ross made quick work sneaking from behind and whacking them with a crowbar he found in the bottom of the yacht. Ana would always lure them and Ross would get them from behind. One time three had drifted to them and Ross was almost bitten, but he'd managed, somehow, to finish them off for good. Being in a wasteland was frightening, but now the fact that some of them were thinking and planning was even more frightening. They couldn't admit it to one another, but they were scared. Horrified. Something good had to come to them. But what? How many times would bad luck play a card in their miserable lives?

Ross was a warrior in the land, and he'd taught Ana everything he learned from his years in the military from the most miniscule aspect, and she became a warrior too. He was still very much of a leader, one that she loved and looked up to, and she followed him without question. But he was no longer smiling and optimistic. He was understandably jaded and angry. Those months on the boat were unsettling and uneasy. They'd bonded, but the startling realization that he and Ana were maybe the only people in the world was something that interfered with his thoughts very often. He made it a point to make an oath with her every time they ventured out.

"Do I have to tell you what happens if we get outnumbered?"

"No." she patted his back.

"Remember. Regardless of what happens."

"I know."

"Don't look back." He cocked his 47 and continued on down the road. They'd walked for what seemed like three hours or so. Since they'd had the first good night's sleep they had in two weeks, they didn't really mind the trek. Going further and further down in to the country side, they luckily didn't cross paths with many of them. Ross and Ana decided to save their bullets and instead approach them with their blunt objects unless they came in contact with a group.

There was an opening in the fields and they'd found a small convenience store that was in the middle of a mini-parking lot, one that housed at least three or four of the dead drifting around. Thankfully Ross and Ana were behind the chain linked fence keeping them safe. They stopped looking out at the doors of the store, hungry, and hopeful, and they knew it was a far off prospect. A cling alarmed them that followed with one of the dead dropping to the floor. They looked over at each other curiously. There was another zip and the other had fallen to the floor with a thump. And then another. And another. There was a long silence. "What's that?" asked Ana.

"A sniper?"

"I didn't hear a gunshot," she said.

"Well," he sighed, "Whatever it was, we're going to that store to stock up."

"Ross-"

"-I'm hungry." he replied with a desperate gleam. "I'm going." He climbed the gate and dropped to the ground picking his bag up. "You're going to keep watch?" She looked around with a sigh and climbed it with a grunt. She swung her legs over and climbed down to the ground. "Alright," she said brushing herself off. "Let's go. There's probably not any food left."

"Yeah," he admitted, "It's worth a try, though." They walked on to the small pavement. Ana felt objects under her foot rustle. She looked down lifting her feet. It felt like glass. But it was quarters. She furrowed her brows. There were many. Scattered all over the pavement glittering in the sun. She lifted her feet with a half grin.

"Ross?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at this." She knelt and grabbed a hand full. "I wonder what happened here."

"They're worthless, anyway." He said, "Let's go." Ana flinched with a yelp and lurched back. A windshield shattered in the distance. "Ana!" Ross ran to her and held her head. She had a small gash across her cheek. She groaned wincing aloud. "Fuck."

"What was that?" she muttered.

"What the fuck?" A voice said in a heavy British accent. Ross stood up. He saw a young man peak his head over. "They're alive! Bollocks."

"Who the fuck are you?" Ross asked.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"You nearly killed her!" he screamed.

"I know. I'm not as good as Leo." He looked down at Ana. "Fucking hell, mate. Sorry 'bout that."

"How'd you get up there?"

"My unicorn." he joked. "How the bloody hell do you think?"

"She needs some alcohol, do you have any?" he asked.

"None for you," he replied, "Oi, Leo! There's humans down here."

"What?"

They saw a black man lean over in shock.

"Oh fuck."

He was American.

"Ow… It hurts." Ana said holding her face. He picked her up and examined her, "There's no damage to your eye."

"I can still see from it," she explained widening her eyes.

"We need some alcohol. Would you happen to have any?" Leo thought for a second and nodded. "Come on up."

"How?" he asked looking around.

"Go into the store and climb up through the roof," he explained, "We blocked everything off, so you don't have to worry."

"You're mad," the British man complained, "What if they're killers or something?"

"We'll take the chance," Leo replied.

"Oi, mate!" he said leaning over.

"What?" asked Ross.

"Grab some of that change on the floor, eh?"

"What?" he asked irate, "She's hurt."

"Oh come on!" he insisted, "Leo will lead her up here."

"Go, its okay," she replied grabbing her face. She rushed inside. Ross sighed and began stuffing the change into his bag by the handfuls. He was interested to see what the fuck was going on there. He'd grabbed as much as possible leaving a few on the floor and quickly made his way up to the roof. Leo stood over Ana dabbing her face with peroxide. She gave a wince. The British man sat on the floor swigging soda from the cut bottom of a soda bottle.

"You made it."

"Close the door." Leo said. "They get nosy."

Ross turned and dropped the door down locking it. They were surrounded with the food Leo could scrounge up. They'd had at least a year's supply, and Ross was shocked.

"Cheers," the British man said with a smile.

"Here," Ross sighed. He emptied the bag out on the floor.

"Cheers, mate." He began grabbing them.

"I didn't take any."

"So?" he asked with a chuckle, "Not like it has any value." he chuckled again. Ross nodded. "Thanks for telling me though, mate. Good man."

"Are you hungry?" asked Leo.

"Very," Ana groaned holding her face.

"Doesn't look like it will be infected," Leo said, "Don't worry."

"Thanks." she replied.

"Who are you guys?" asked Ross.

"I'm Leo, I used to run this store," he explained, "And that's Scotty."

"Hello," he smiled.

"You're British?" he asked.

"What gave it away?" he joked.

"He was a tourist," Leo declared amused.

"Fucking right," Scotty replied, "I was a fucking tourist, I was here on an illegal Visa and they still wouldn't let me out of the country! When this shit went down, I made a break for the airport and they wouldn't let me pass. I coulda stormed the place with a bomb and they wouldn't have done anything. I take a week for holiday to get away from my wife, and this shit happens. Fucking perfect, eh?" He nodded.

"You seem pretty so-so on it," Ross noticed.

"Yeah," Scotty nodded, "Well-last I heard, the UK is having this same deal."

"Oh," Ross nodded.

"How did you guys meet?" asked Ana.

"I was just hiding out up here," Leo explained.

"And this beautiful motherfucker sees me walking around looking for help and he fights off three of those fuck heads just to save me. He's a pip. I love that motherfucker."

"You saved him?" asked Ana.

"Yeah," Leo sighed, "He could have died. My daughter is dead. I was desperate and he turned out to be a good partner in all of this."

"How long have you been up here?" asked Ross.

"Since this started," replied Leo, "I closed up the shop when this happened, and then after two years hiding out at my house, my daughter has a heart attack, comes back for me, and I killed her."

"I'm sorry," Ana muttered.

"It's okay," he nodded, "But she put up such a ruckus they found us. So I high-tailed it and came here. When I returned, the food was still here, so I took everything I had, stored it up here, and made camp."

"What's that?" Ross asked. He pointed to a large paper bag filled to the hilt with change.

"Ammo," Scotty said tapping the top. He grabbed what change Ross could scrounge up and poured it back in.

"Ammo?" asked Ana.

"Quarters mostly," Leo said, "I took a sling shot that belonged to my daughter, and I learned how to use it."

"I don't get it," Ross nodded.

"Watch," he said holding it up. Ross, Ana, Scotty, and Leo lay on their stomachs looking over the ledge. Leo held his slingshot up. A woman drifted from the trees looking around. "Blast off," Scotty whispered. Leo held the quarter up, pulled and shot. With a whiz the quarter launched in to the woman's skull with a loud pop. She groaned and dropped to the floor. "Holy shit," Ross muttered. Ana laughed.

"See?" asked Leo.

"You're a genius," Ana declared.

"He sure is," replied Scotty.

"I took all of the change I had in my register and in that coin machine shit," he explained, "There must have been a barrel of those things."

"American change is worthless now," Scotty nodded.

"So, since I didn't have a gun, or bullets," Leo explained, "I figured these would be good. They work."

"It's slow," Scotty continued, "But it takes them down. We've killed about two or three hundred at the most."

"It's silent, too," Ross deduced.

"Exactly." Leo held it up. "They hear gun shots and they flock here, and then we're dead. But with this thing here, it's silent and deadly."

"He's excellent with it," Scotty said, "But I've been trying to learn. And that's-"

"-When you skimmed me," Ana nodded.

"My apologies," Scotty said. Ana nodded.

"So-uh-it's quarters you use?" asked Ross.

"Dimes are too light, even at high speed," Scotty explained, "Pennies work, but it takes two times, and Nickels work just as well as quarters."

"I found out you have to get these things in the brain," Leo explained, "The brain keeps them working."

"I know," Ross replied.

"I loved this store," Leo said, "Now I'm depending on it for life."

"I was an agent," Scotty replied, "Used to handle big actresses."

"What about you two?" asked Leo.

"I was a soldier," Ross replied, "And she was nurse."

"A soldier?" Scotty asked saddened.

"Yeah, why?"

"I thought they'd come to rescue us."

"I'm sorry," he explained, "No one is being rescued."


	4. Three: Water, water everywhere

"You don't know that," Leo replied.

"He's right," Ana insisted, "We were at a military base for a while, a year at least, and they turned on us and we were forced to leave. About ninety-five percent of American military is gone."

"Stop saying that," Scotty insisted.

"Scotty-"

"-Ross," Scotty said, "They may not rescue you, but they'll rescue us."

"Why?" asked Ana.

"We're staying put," replied Leo, "If we stay put long enough, the rescue parties will find us. It's really only a matter of time. You know?" Ana tried to speak, Ross gripped her shoulder and nodded. They were dead set on their declaration.

"We've seen trucks around the woods," Scotty explained.

"Those are nomads," Ross warned.

"Nomads?" Leo asked.

"They're not the kind of help you two want, trust me," Ana sighed.

"How do you know?" Scotty asked.

"We've seen them wreak havoc," Ross declared, "Let's just say there's some things out there worse than the walking dead."

Leo and Scotty looked at one another and sighed in dread. There was no real point in attempting to tell them otherwise. Later, they sat in a circle eating from the boxes. Canned goods, and crackers stale as cardboard, but still damn good to them. Leo and Scotty stood looking over and shot with anxiousness.

"You're welcome to stay," Leo said, "If anyone deserves to rescued, it's you two."

"We appreciate it," Ross replied, "We appreciated the food and supplies. We have to keep moving. Those things catch on pretty quickly."

"Stay hidden," Scotty said, "It's how we survive."

"The same goes for you," Ross warned, "Unless there's a helicopter, you two have to stay low and pretend this place is deserted."

"Whatever comes our way, we can handle," Scotty smirked.

"I'm serious, guys," Ross pleaded.

"We'll be fine," Scotty waved him away.

"When they pick us up we'll come looking for you, okay?" Leo said with a smile.

"Okay," Ross said with a faint smile. They shook hands and parted ways.

"Good luck," Ana said with a smile climbing down after Ross. They walked through the dark store and out back in to the wilderness. "We'll keep you covered," Leo assured them. Ross gave a wave and they made their way back down the road. They saw them waving from afar with faint smiles. As they made it through the trees, the store now out of sight, Ana looked back in discontent and sighed catching up to Ross.

"Ross."

"I know, Ana."

"They're good people."

"Yeah... they are."

"Scotty was hilarious."

"Yep. Leo reminded me of my dad."

"I'm worried for them." She looked back.

"You should be. I am, too."

"What do you think will happen?"

"I don't know. Truth is, I don't think I want to find out."

"They have enough food, though."

"For a while." he explained. "When the food finally runs out or goes sour they'll have to get off that roof again."

"They're going to realize sooner or later they're not being rescued."

"They won't realize it. They never will. Let them have their illusion," he said putting his arm around her, "It will keep them fighting to live."

"Yeah," she replied with a frown, "Like us." He chuckled kissing her wounded cheek, "Yeah, baby. Exactly like us."

Hours passed and what seemed like days to them involved playing hide and seek with two folks whose ammo was low. They stood on the back roads lugging their heavy sacks, dodging drifters who peeked out from the bushes, and racing with the sun to find a shelter before the night dropped down giving the dead a cloak to lurk without being seen by either of them. Often they ignored signs of the living for fear of the nomads. Once every few days a truck would whiz by with the hoots of folks scattered in their backs and they always narrowly avoided their paths, which wasn't easy considering often they'd flash their spotlights around looking for new meat to pick at anxiously.

Ross still couldn't quite figure out why they sought out to make the remaining survivors of the world suffer so horribly, but when hell finally opened its gates, the walking dead weren't the only horrors that crept from its doorways. The carnage and chaos allowed for many predators to seep out of jail cells, institutes, and dark corners of the world to form a brotherhood and create their own underworld that not many wanted to see or lived long enough to tell about. The nomads were just one of the primary menaces in the new world overthrown by the dead. The harsh weather, starvation, and dehydration often seemed like minimal nuisances when compared to the ruthless maniacs and calculated psychopaths who brought down military bases, pillaged and plundered their resources, and became their own society.

Now not even the rescue could be trusted as the nomads of the new world had managed to possess much of the standard military uniforms as clothing and war fatigues that they donned proudly like animal skins. They were glorious indicators that they'd brought down the government that held them down in the darkness, and they often took no prisoners where ever they set their feet down. Days went by as Ana and Ross trudged through the fields and alleyways. Ana often picked the wild fruit growing at the edges of the farms that were never controlled and they ate along the travels, barely resting to gather their bearings.

Often times they'd go literal hours without speaking to one another. They've communicate through meeting eyes, hand gestures and head signals, all of which was enough for them. Sometimes the food they could collect that wasn't artificially preserved in the stores is what kept them going for hours at a time, and they never complained that it was untouched. They had no idea if the soils were coated in the blood of the infected, and they didn't care. They were hungry, and they accepted whatever came their way be it apples and peaches growing along bushels and trees, or crackers and left over canned goods scattered along the streets in front of a store left behind by nervous and anxious looters and shoppers in the middle of the carnage.

Ross could always identify what surprises his environment held for them if he looked hard enough and Ana depended on his old skills to bring them through another stormy day of preserving their ammo by dodging the drifters that popped out of the sides of roads at random. One instance Ross found a can of beans squashed down the middle with a trail of crushed beans and sauce streaked along a sun parched road. This signaled a distinct path someone was using, and he knew by the freshness of the beans that they had traveled moments before them.

Knowing there were more of them alive in the world filled with Ross and Ana with mixed emotions. They could never decide if the presence of human life was something to be frightened of or something that could give them hope. Ana wanted to think that maybe there was human life out there beyond the psychopaths, that maybe there was a large colony of peaceful people seeking a safe haven. Perhaps there was a safe haven that was near them. But every time their hopes were built, it'd become dashed again as they'd pass a small house burning fresh with fires of folks who seemed to set it ablaze out of the sheer amusement of it. For them it wasn't the destruction of a house, but the death of an opportunity to hide out from the walking dead.

They were destroying more and more chances the living had of hiding out and seeking shelter, thus driving them to the arms of the nomads whose prices were far too high for anyone to pay. They demanded goods, they wanted flesh to satisfy their sick desires, and very few people wanted to actually provide them with the fee. Ross and Ana never really knew where the nomads entered and exited, they never knew how vast their numbers were, they never knew where they hid themselves, but they were shadowy monsters, ones that they could barely hide from. The walking dead were getting smarter, but still they were slow, they were sometimes immobile and in spite of their relentlessness they could be outsmarted and outlasted.

The nomads were swift, and conscious. They had weapons. They were crafty, and they were easily hidden in the outskirts of the land, capable of manipulating desperate survivors in to their lairs and inflicted horrible punishment on them that they often didn't deserve. Ross held his gun tight though and barely used his weapons on the dead. He often told Ana that he was keeping the ammo saved for an emergency horde of the walking dead, but deep down she knew he was preparing to battle any nomads who'd discover them and sought to mow them down or kidnap them. Not even Ross wanted to learn what they did to their captives.

"Oh, how long is this highway anyway?" Ana groaned rubbing the back of her neck with a heavy sigh.

"I have no idea," Ross grunted barely able to keep his eyes open, "It feels like dawn, the chill is signaling the beginning of the day."

"I've officially lost all grasp of time," Ana joked, "I don't even remember what day of the week it is, and that's horrifying."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Time and dates kept us organized and sane. Without any of that, how can we keep a record of everything?"

"Why would anyone want to keep a record of this?"

"I don't know," She shrugged, "I kept a lot of records when I was a nurse."

"This morning I yawned."

"Yesterday I took a piss as fast as I could."

"Last night I realized that I smell worse than the dead."

"Last week I tried stifling a sneeze and hurt my jaw."

"This morning I found a few dead bugs in my beard."

"Two weeks ago I finally fell asleep longer than four minutes."

"The other day I hid in a field and mosquitoes had a buffet with my arms."

"At least someone with a pulse is eating, right?" she smirked.

"Yes, this is all fairly exciting material that historians would want to look on to with awe someday, I concur."

"Last month I thought I heard children laughing... and realized it was just crickets... and I cried."

Ross' smile melted in mere seconds and he looked over at her, now only the sounds of their clomping feet against the pavement were heard.

"Ross... I really think I'm..."

"I know..." he nodded, "I am too..."

"How do we stop it?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I think we'll know when we've finally gone looney when we start inventing our own language."

She nodded stone faced looking down at the ground.

"When I've had enough... I'm walking in the middle of a street and ringing the dinner bell for them... and you better not stop me."

"If that's what you want," he whispered scratching his chin.

"No pep talk?"

"What do you want me to say?" he shrugged, "I actually planned on doing the same thing, really. Better to be eaten than die of starvation."

"That's beautiful, boss."

"Had a kind of poetry to it."

"Look!" she whispered pointing up ahead, "Am I seeing things?"

"If you are, we're finally losing it."

They saw scattered bottles of water glistening in the sunlight all in piles as if hastily dropped by a looter, and Ana smirked.

"I want one."

"I don't know..."

"Come on," she scoffed walking.

"No, no, don't-" he grabbed her arm yanking her back.

"What are you doing?" she whispered struggling.

"Don't go over there," he urged yanking her back.

"Ross, I'm thirsty-"

"-Ana, please," he whispered pulling her in to the side of the road, "Something doesn't seem right about that."

"There's a bunch of water there, and I want it!"

"Ana, you think someone would have taken them by now, nothing about that scene adds up to me."

"Ross, I'm going," she muttered anxiously.

"Ana, don't," he pleaded, "It's a trap."

"A trap?" she scoffed, "Oh please, who is trapping us?"

"The nomads."

"They're not cartoon coyotes, Ross you're losing it."

"Ana, those bottles are fresh, they're not dirty and it's been four years. You figure in all that time someone would have passed by and grabbed a few."

"Ross..." she sighed, "I'm going, I don't care if that's a nomad trap."

"Ana, that's a nomad trap, and if you're caught they're going to do things that will be worse than dying and I can't handle that."

She sighed thinking.

"We'll go through the fields and sneak by them, please listen to me."

She paused anxiously, "Fine... we'll leave them behind, but if there's no trap-"

"-Trust me," Ross pleaded, "Those nomads are tricky, but they're not too bright. It's too obvious a trick, Ana. Please listen to me and pass that up. I want that water as much as you do, but I'm not giving myself up for it."

"Okay," she whispered looking off, "We'll keep moving."

"Thank you," he sighed looking back, "Come on, we have to be quiet."

She nodded and they turned walking in through the bushes.

"They likely didn't see us or hear us, so we have to sneak by as fast as possible."

"Okay," she whispered walking behind him. They brushed through the tall grass inch by inch walking slowly. Ross patted her arm and they crouched down along the ground etching on all fours through the high grass. They crawled inch by inch through the gravel and rubble that surrounded them and the sunlight splashed upon them before they realized it. Moments of silence passed as they crawled along the grass out of sight obscured by the blades of grass before them.

They gradually emerged from side of the road through the grass and across the general store as she crawled on all four behind Ross silently and on baited breath. Every heart beat seemed to hit like a drum and she could see the bottles of water glistening in the sunlight like gold. It was tempting and enticing and she resisted every urge to run out on to the road and yank a few from the ground, guzzling them down for relief. But as they crawled along the ground she made out the small general store along the road and the stillness of the store that felt like a mausoleum.

She hated Ross at that moment for making her pass up the opportunity, but as she nodded she looked to her side and saw four men along the roof of the store sitting down smoking and looking down by the road aiming their guns with a smirk as if ready to fire at any moment. She gasped softly and looked over at Ross who made a bee line along the ground quietly.

"Oh my god..." she whispered oh so softly, "Ross, it's a trap."

"I know," he whispered looking ahead, "Just keep moving and we'll be out of here in no time, just don't make a sound... don't even move the grass."

"You were-"

"-Quiet," he muttered under his breath barely moving his lips, "Keep moving until their voices are out of ear shot."

She nodded closing her eyes praying silently and continued crawling in a straight line after Ross as the minutes passed in to an hour and before they knew it the store was no longer in range of either of them. And neither was the water. And neither was the food that was likely being kept within the store. She was enraged. They weren't holding people hostage. They were holding life hostage. They were keeping supplies from people who needed them the most. And she had no force to make them suffer for their crimes. The lunatics were running the asylum now and they were at their mercy whether they liked it or not. The stories of the nomads wrath were not myths. They were truly the pits of hell, and the state of the walking dead seemed almost blissful.

How could there be a fate worse than a lumbering rotting corpse anxious for food? Most importantly, what was the difference between the hungry undead and them at that moment? She hated Ross for being right. And as they'd made it four yards away from the nomads hot spot with barely a sound to be made from either of them, she walked up ahead of him with an angry pout unable to even express in coherent thought how she felt about the scenario. She almost fell victim to thirst, and worst of all the living were still so heftily divided in the aftermath. The psychos and monsters had found their own legions, and the survivors seeking life were becoming more and more of a minority.


	5. Four: I Got One More Silver Dollar

Ana sat in a small enclosure of a back alley behind a picket fence with red paint scraped down its sides almost clawed off and stirred sliding back along the concrete looking around the dim sky as Ross rushed over dropping to his knees and placed a plastic bag along the ground in front of her.

"I didn't get much," he whispered crawling over to her.

"That's okay," she whispered looking over, "I just want something."

He handed her a small bottled water and a pack of chocolate cookies crumbled within the bag and looked back at the closed door.

"If we're quiet enough we'll be fine here."

"I know," she whispered uncapping the bottle and guzzled it down.

"I just think we'll be here for a few hours," he held a small bottle of Tylenol popping it open and tore the foil away, "And then we'll head out in a little bit."

"I'm so tired," she gazed wearily.

"I am too," he nodded yanking the cotton from the bottle and poured some in his mouth swallowing with a soft gulp cringing. He coughed and swallowed.

"Here," she handed him the bottle.

"No that's okay," he nodded waving it away, "We have to save it."

"Oh man I don't know how much more I can go."

"I know."

"I need some sleep."

"Right now sleep is a luxury we can't afford, I'm sorry," he grumbled, "We've been walking all day long and we haven't found a place we can sleep in for more than five minutes, and no matter how tired I am I can't fall asleep in a few seconds."

"This is ridiculous," Ana grumbled.

"Would you like to re-discover the walking in to the middle of the street option?"

"Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not," he shrugged stone faced and winded, "I'm just saying at this point I'm seriously considering doing it."

"Don't leave me alone here."

"Well, right now death is looking like a sweeter and sweeter option to me."

"I'm going to crack any second, I swear," she groaned rubbing the back of her neck softly, "My feet hurt, my neck hurts, I can barely keep my fucking eyes open-"

"-Let's compare lists," Ross joked.

"Well, I'm not stopping until I find a shelter," she sighed standing up with a soft yawn, "I need sleep, now."

"You lead the way then," Ross shrugged standing up with a weathered face. He turned pouring the bottle in to his bag and looped it around his shoulder dropping the bottle. She turned rushing down the alley and walked up exhausted as Ross followed dragging his feet prepared to take whatever came biting at him. He'd made a vow to not fight it if he was attacked and Ana was oblivious.

"If you can find a shelter, I'll gladly stay there."

"You keep saying that," Ana grumbled walking down the wooded path, "I'm tired of hearing that from you, like you're the only one who can find a shelter."

"I didn't mean that," Ross whispered and grabbed her arm, "Ana, stop."

She halted and looked back.

"Holy shit..." Ana whispered looking back down the path.

A small horde emerged from the path moaning and clawing past them.

"Stay still," Ross whispered.

She nodded barely able to breath as they brushed past them growling. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in to the side of the path as the tide changed.

"They're coming down our way," she whispered.

"Let's walk down the woods there," Ross urged staggering beside her. Dog barks were heard in the distance as they slid down the muddy hill that afternoon hearing growls and groans from the dead. They didn't know what the ruckus was and they weren't interested in finding out. They knew traveling the path of the park that day was a risky maneuver, but their desperation inevitably got the best of them. After sliding down the hill for almost twenty minutes ignoring two drifters who reached out to them but never ventured to grab them, they dropped on to a concrete landing brushing their pants off.

"Did we lose them?" Ana asked looking back.

"I don't think any of them followed us."

"Nomads," Ana gasped pointing up ahead.

Ross paused furrowing his brows and tilted his head, "I really don't know if that's a nomad."

"If they are, they haven't spotted us."

"No... I don't think that's a nomad," he walked up ahead.

"How do you know?" she followed after.

"Why would a nomad be camouflaging themselves?"

Anna and Ross saw the large metal structure.

"What is it, then?" asked Ana.

"I don't know," he replied. He slowly approached it. It was a shelter. A bunker, A house made of metal, or if bad luck as usual, just a deserted scrap heap. But maybe it could be a shelter either way. Perhaps it was a metallic bunker of some kind. Ana stood trying to make out the shape. Ross walked up to it and felt the foliage covering it and began tearing it off. Ana prayed for a shelter. Maybe it was a bunker. God, what a bunker could do for them. She became antsy, "What is it?"

"It's a tank!"

Ross looked back at her with part surprise, part curiosity, "It's a tank or something... I never saw this kind of tank when I was in the service, that's for sure."

"An actual tank is out here?"

"Looks like it." He held his ear to the hull and tapped it softly. "I don't hear anything or anyone..." Ana quickly approached its haul and began tearing off the dry leaves and vines that were taped down with blue wire tape presumably from a hardware store. It was shoddily placed on side by side among the dry broken leaves that crumbled in her hands as she removed them.

"The..." she tilted her head squinting, "Midnight Rider...?"

"Like the song."

"What's a tank doing out here? It makes no sense."

"Well, whoever or whomever had this must have left it here for a few minutes, and maybe was... killed or eaten. I don't think anyone would leave a shelter like this behind." He walked around it and knelt down, "The dirt is fresh on its belt, and it's cold."

"Why don't we go in and see what's inside?"

"No." He felt the hull, "We probably shouldn't. Maybe this thing is here for a reason, you know?"

She nodded crossing her arms.

"Maybe there's someone moving in there without a pulse... or maybe someone was placed in there like a casket for them."

"It could also probably out of gas. Or ruined. A thing like this wouldn't just be left behind, that's for sure. Damn, it's beautiful, and you can see the dried blood on the front there from those things."

"Amazing," he sighed scratching his head in awe, "Who ever owned it probably had a good reason to abandon it. There's a bloody handprint on the hull here, too. Who ever owned it must have turned or something or... I don't even want to know the story behind this." He climbed it grunting, stood up looking down at Ana. He walked along the top showing a hint of surprise, "Do you think it runs?"

"I don't know," she shrugged looking back nervously, "You should get down before we're spotted by a herd."

He turned examining the hull decorated with dry leaves. The hatch popped up with a loud thump, and he turned facing the end of a rifle held by two fingerless black gloves. He gave no reaction.

"Ross!" Ana screeched.

"Living or dead... if you make a move for your weapon there, you'll be painted on this thing with the rest of the dead skin."

"Wait, don't! Please!" Ana yelled

"Don't shoot," Ross muttered nervously.

"Give me a good reason, and I mean a _**good**_ reason."

"I'm going back down, okay."

"That's not a good reason."

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's true, I'll fire in a split second."

"Please don't!" Ana screamed rushing forward

She nodded pointing, "Back off!"

"Wait, wait!" Ana beckoned, "Don't shoot."

"Put your fucking guns down!"

"Alright, alright." Ross nodded to Ana. They dropped their guns. "There. Okay?"

"Good. Now leave."

"We're not one of those things," Ana urged.

"I don't give a fuck," she replied, "Don't make you a friend to me either way."

"Do I look like a nomad?" asked Ana.

"Do I look like a moron?" she barked.

"Okay, okay." Ross held his hands up. "Look, you're in control here, you have nothing to worry about. What's your name?"

"Fuck you."

"I'm Ross." He made the first attempt, "That's Ana."

She looked them over with one eye and the other eye on her gun, and slowly lowered her rifle poking Ross angrily.

"We're not here to cause you any trouble. We just found this thing by mistake."

"Perfect," She said lowering her gun completely, and looked down in to the hole with a tisk, "Cally, we got to leave. We've been found by two pulses."

She looked down. There was a long silence. She nodded.

"I know. But we can't find any new camouflage on a highway," she turned nodding respectfully to them, "See ya around."

She began lowering the door.

"Wait wait!"

They beckoned lurching forward. She lifted the lid.

"What?"

"Can we come too?"

"No," she scoffed.

"Please." Ana pleaded. "We have no shelter."

"That's sad," She sighed, "Good luck to you."

"Please." Ross urged desperately forcing the lid up. The first sign of emotions in almost a year. He was near tears.

"Let go of the lid or you're losing your hand-"

"-Please. I'm begging you. My girlfriend and I have nowhere. You have a big tank here. Please. Don't let us die."

"I heard that so many times on the road, man. Please don't let us die. Please save me. Please help us. It's not my job to save lives."

"How many people did you let die out there?" Ross whispered in disbelief.

"Oh relax," she sighed, "They were bitten or wounded. I don't have a medical ward in this thing, and I sure as hell am not tending to wounded people who will slow me down, I ain't no nurse."

"Neither of us are wounded or bitten, we just need some rest and shelter for a while, please, we're not going to hurt either of you. We came off a boat, and have been fighting through fucking nomads, and the dead for weeks, we're exhausted..."

She looked them over with a grimace, "Your story makes me sad. We're going to go now, bye." She looked down into the passenger area and nodded.

"Please!" Ana begged grabbing the haul.

"Who's in there with you?" Ross whispered.

"Cally."

"I don't hear anything," Ana muttered.

"Good ears," she mocked.

"Is he... imaginary?" Ross asked.

"No, fuck head!" she barked offended to Ross, "He's mute."

"Sorry," he sighed pursing his lips.

She looked down into the ladder. "Okay, okay. Fine. Fine!" She nodded angrily and looked up at the both of them. "Are you two coming or what?"

Ana scurried for their rifles.

"What's your name?" Ross asked grateful.

"Little Annie," she said with a nod.

"How many are in here with you?" asked Ana.

"Just me and Cally," she shrugged.

"Is he deaf?" she asked.

"No, he just can't talk. But he reads lips, and can hear you just fine. That's why he's," she looked down and kicked at him, "Bothering me. He hears you." She looked down at him, "Put that shit away before I shove it up your ass."

Ana looked back at Ross almost re-thinking. She jumped on to the hull quickly. "Give me your guns." Ana handed them to her and climbed down. "You coming, or what?" He sighed and ran up quickly. He slid beside her and climbed down after Ana.

"Thank you, thank you," Ross panted helping Ana in to the hole.

"Thank you so much," Ana sighed relieved climbing down the ladder. Ross climbed down closing the lid.

"Lock it, or something might get in."

Ross turned the wheel with a loud thunk and felt the darkness and silence shroud him. It was a refreshing mood change for him.

"Thank you so much," Ana sighed standing in front of her.

"Thank Cally," she pointed sitting down at the cockpit facing a small open slot in the two black seated cockpit looking out on to small bushes. She sighed turning her chair and brushed her hair back behind her ears. They'd found a shelter finally. A mobile shelter. And two new allies. Little Annie, and Cally. But were they friends? Ana and Ross walked along the inside of the tank hearing the engine looking out at the darkness of the passenger area. It was really big, big enough to move around in and big enough to fit a small group of people, with two long black benches on opposite sides, slightly small slots to look out at and gain air flow from, and a small empty space with a black leather net in front of a storage unit.

The walls were filled with shelves fit for storage and keeping. They were currently filled with dust. It was very dark and quiet but safe, and very comfortable. They heard the hatch close with a loud squeak and the click of the lock as Annie double checked. She climbed down dressed in dirty blue jeans, a loose gray tee stained, and black fingerless gloves topped off by thick brown boots and walked to the cockpit without a word. "Sit down so we can leave," she ordered.

"Where?" Ana asked.

"Anywhere you want," Annie shrugged annoyed.

They walked toward the benches and sat huddled together with long groans. Ross sighed rubbing his weary eyes extremely grateful to be resting for more than five minutes as Ana looked around yawning. "We got to find a new place," she announced. Cally stepped out from behind the net and walked by them with a stone faced greeting swinging his sheathed sword around like a toy. He walked over and sat at the small step leading up to the cockpit looking Ross and Ana over. He was an African American kid, skinny and lanky, definitely fit, and wearing orange sockless sneakers, blue shorts, and a white shirt that was wrinkled and stained. He sat behind Annie looking at them suspiciously.

"Are you two related?" asked Ana.

They looked to the cockpit. There was a long silence.

"Hello?" asked Ross.

"Tell me, do we look related?" Annie asked.

"Where did you find him?" asked Ross.

"In a tool shed near the city," she explained, "About six months ago."

"What's his story?" Ross asked.

"I found him in a tool shed six months ago."

"I know but, what-?"

"-I'm too tired to explore his biography if you don't mind."

"Was he born mute?" asked Ana. Cally nodded.

"He was born that way, yep," she explained.

"Where'd you get the sword?" asked Ross. Cally patted Annie's elbow. Annie tore her arm from him, "Alright, alright," she groaned irately, "He found it in some weapon shop in his town that he took for protection. It was all that was there after the looting."

"Is he good with it?" Ana asked.

"He's a surgeon with it. He is fast as fuck. He's lopped the heads of those things three times his size before my eyes, I think in a past life he was some sort of samurai warrior like those Kurosawa movies, you know?"

Cally patted her elbow shrugging confused.

"Never mind," Annie sighed, "He's someone who made a lot of cool movies, god try to keep up a little."

"What about you?" asked Ana.

"I don't use a sword," she replied, "I got this Ak-47 here."

"How long have you had the tank?" asked Ross.

"Long as possible." They noticed her appearance. Piercings on her eyebrow and now, her messy hair bunched together, her purple streak draped down over her forehead. She had no makeup, but was pretty good looking and quite curvy, and she draped her tan winter coat over her shoulder as she drove.

"Where did you get the scar?" asked Ross.

"Shrapnel," she replied pointing to her chin, "Hurt like a bitch."

"Thank you for taking us," Ana said.

"Don't worry about it. I'll drop you off ten miles from here, and you'll be fine once we get to a deserted zone," she explained.

"What?" Ross asked wide eyed.

"You're leaving us somewhere?" asked Ana.

"Yep."

"Why?" Ana asked.

"Why not? It's just a ride, people. I'm don't need any partners here."

"We can help you," Ross argued, "There's safety in numbers."

"Two people are more discreet than four, soldier boy. No thanks."

"You can't leave us here." Ross urged standing up.

Cally stood up lifting his sword in an imposing gesture.

"He's fast," Annie warned without turning her head, "Sit down if you enjoy having two hands. Last I checked, having two hands keeps you alive longer."

Ross sighed sliding down onto the bench.

"Ten miles and you're gone."

"Can't we make a deal here?" asked Ana.

"Sure! Whaddya got?"

They went silent.

"Right, that's what I thought you'd say," Annie smiled nodding, "It's exactly what everyone else has right now."

"What's with you?" Ross asked confused.

"Cally, you can relax," Annie muttered.

He nodded leaning back.

"Listen, guys," Annie said to them, "Let's get one thing straight here, I'm not your friend, I'm not your sister, your daughter, your mother, your aunt, your girlfriend, your doctor, patient, therapist, coach, or teacher. I'm not your confidant, your companion, your leader, or your partner, I'm just a person like you, trying to get by. Got it?"

"Got it," Ross replied.

"Think of this as people on a bus," she declared.

"What do you mean?" asked Ana.

"We're not friends, we're only here because circumstances brought us together," she explained, "We're here to do what we came to do and when this is all over, we part ways. Clear now?"

"As crystal in water," Ross declared.

"Good," she nodded, "Ten miles and you're gone." She turned back to the wheel, Cally sat on the co-pilot's seat. "This isn't a fucking shelter, I'm not taking in freeloaders. I got enough food and supplies for me and this shit head here. Two people is enough."

There was a long silence. Ana braved it.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to have four people looking for supplies?" asked Ana. "I was a nurse. He was a military man. We can help you." Annie sighed nodding. Cally looked over to her also pondering.

"Just shut the fuck up, okay?" Annie told Ana, "You're lucky as hell that I don't leave you two bozos here to die."

Cally patted Annie's arm, she batted him away and stuck her finger to him, "Shut up, don't even start with me."

"Leave him alone," Ana said.

"What?"

"He's just a little boy," she argued.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, that's just how we interact, we don't mind it. He smacks me on the head all the damn time, we're like brother and sister or something."

"So you're apes," Ross mocked.

Annie chuckled nodding, "Yeah, sure, why not? That's an apt comparison, I think. We're sure as hell living in caves and jungles, we're beating each other's heads in for food and water, we're hiding in trees and communicating with grunts and sign language, some of us are so hungry we're eating branches, so sure, we're apes."

"I was..." he shrugged.

"I know, you were being sarcastic," Annie scoffed, "I'm not an idiot."


	6. Five: Cat's Cradle

"Where are we now?" Ana whispered.

"I have no idea," Ross whispered looking through the slots, "But right now we're not out there looking for a shelter, so I'm not caring."

"Do you think she's a nomad?"

"I have no idea," he shrugged looking around, "I figure she'd have shot us down if she were, but then it's possible..."

"Just be careful around here," Ana whispered.

"You look exhausted," Ross sighed rubbing her shoulder.

"I am bushed," she nodded, "I don't even know what to do right now, to be honest. I want to get comfortable but... I'm afraid to."

"Where are you two from?" Little Annie asked.

"It's a really long story," Ana shrugged.

"A nutshell."

"Uh... I was in a mall in the East Coast for a long time, until the shit hit the fan, Ross was in a military compound that found and rescued me-"

"-The shit hit the fan?" Little Annie asked.

"Big time," Ross nodded.

"And we ended up on a boat one of the survivors I knew owned once, and we floated to the coast... we made it in through the city barely and... we're here now."

"And you're married?"

"More like an unofficial couple," Ross explained.

"You know, you two can relax," she replied slowing down the Midnight Rider. She looked back turning the chair, "I'm not going to shoot you or anything..."

Ana noticed she'd stopped and sighed.

"So this is where we get off?" Ana asked.

"I don't know," Little Annie shrugged, "Cally doesn't want you to go."

"Then please make up your mind," Ross ordered annoyed, "Because right now the ball is in your court. We're exhausted, we've been traveling through fields, the streets, we've barely had any water, we've barely had any food, we're very close to just cracking up, and right now we're safe, but not quite sure how safe-"

"-You're very safe," Annie muttered.

"-Okay, so then tell me, we're at your mercy, congratulations. Tell us what we should be doing right now?"

"You really want this ride, don't you?"

"No, but she does," he ranted.

"Ross, please," Ana warned.

"No," Ross barked, "I'm tired of being at the mercy of people. Those nomads out there are running the show now, and we're fucked-"

"-You saw the nomads?" she asked calmly.

"Yes," Ana nodded.

"What's it like?"

"It's a game," Ross grumbled angrily, "It's a fucking game to them. The world is done and they're still making a game out of suffering. It's a fucking game. It's bad enough we have to dodge the weather, the walking dead, and can barely make a sound, but we're tired, fed up, and this close to blowing our brains out, so please clarify to us our situation and what you have planned for us!" Cally looked over with raised brows. Annie leaned over at the cockpit and nodded.

"Wow..."

"What?" Ana asked.

"You had that built up in you for a long time didn't you?" she muttered softly.

"Pretty much," Ross declared.

"Feel better?" she muttered. He sighed winding down as Ana kissed his cheek and leaned back along the bench yawning softly.

"What are you talking about?" Ross asked confused.

"I'm sorry, that..." she shrugged turning her back to them, "That's the most I've heard anyone talk in over a year that didn't come out of my mouth... it just feels good to hear someone else's voice..."

"What's your story?" Ana asked.

"I was a faux-celebrity in a band, I lost it all, stole this tank from a bunch of pricks, and found Cally. That's... about as interesting as it gets for me, I have to be honest with you. I just forgot how good noise is. All I heard for a long time was the roar of this engine, and the growls of those things at night... it can get to you, you know?"

"So can you tell us?" Ana asked.

"What?" she muttered.

"Can you tell us when we're getting off the boat?" she pleaded.

"I have to admit I ain't too sure yet," Annie replied looking back at them, "I don't trust you, neither of you."

"Understandable," Ross replied.

"Everyone has a sob story to tell," Annie declared, "But then... they get desperate, they begin to fiend..."

"And they turn the guns on one another," Ana replied.

"Right."

"I know the feeling," Ana declared standing, "I was in the same boat with you. I spent months... almost a year with people in this large mall just talking and making friends. And then... something bad happens and we became strangers again. Worse, we became enemies... and it was shocking to witness."

"The good people are gone," Annie insisted, looking back, "They're dead... stained by the infection... just... gone... and there's now just us. We're not good people. Neither of us with pulses are. The good people didn't make it out alive, folks. There's the walking dead and then there's... the shit left over."

"You don't seem as hard boiled as you let on," Ana replied.

"I have to be hard boiled," Annie replied, "I have to be. I was led by a good friend of mine who I had to kill. And then it was just me. So I built a shell and ignored the cries for help... I moved on with my life."

"The thing you told us before," Ross replied, "About the people you left to die... that was all a lie wasn't it?"

Little Annie turned lowering her head in a child-like shame and nodded.

"I had to," she whispered with a frown, "I had to do it. There were too many of them and it would have been a riot in here... and I had no place to take anyone."

"You did what you had to," Ana shrugged.

"It's why I took him with me," Little Annie explained pointing to Cally, "After I outran the rush of mothers with kids, and people, I found him in a tool shed hiding out. He wasn't talking so I came within an inch of shooting him. And he threw a rock at me to show that he was alive."

She chuckled kicking at Cally as he grinned kicking back.

"And I just took him with me..." she shrugged, "I don't know much about his life, honestly. I just know the sword was with him and he had no shoes on. I found those sneakers in a store thirty miles out by the city, and it was just a gesture of peace."

"So...?" Ana asked, "What's your decision?"

"I don't know yet," Little Annie sniped, "Stop asking me that question. This is not your stop, just be happy with that, okay?"

"Fine," Ross sighed patting his side.

"This is where we'll camp out until I make a decision," she pointed to Cally, "And stop nagging me about them, I'm serious."

Cally crossed his arms angrily. Little Annie turned to the cockpit again draping the jacket over her shoulder as Ana and Ross sat along the bench quietly, soaking in the deafening silence and shelter.

"It looks like the evening," Ross muttered looking out the slot.

"There's one," Ana gasped watching a drifter walk by dragging its broken foot.

"Don't worry about them," Little Annie assured her, "The slots are too small and thick for them to reach through to grab you, and they can't get in through the top since I locked the lid down tight. Even so, the lid is too heavy for them to grasp and open."

"Are you sure?" Ross asked.

"One hundred and one, hon," Little Annie mocked closing her eyes, "We're peachy keen right now, don't worry. We have a long night ahead of us, so enjoy the peace while it lasts. Sleep, think, do whatever it is you do now that you can't when you're out there. I try to take advantage of sleep whenever I possibly can. Sleep is a luxury now that many of us can't afford. Savor in it whenever possible."

"You were in a band?" Ross asked.

"Yep."

"You wrote the lyrics?"

"Yes," she sighed smiling.

"I can tell by that speech," Ross chuckled wiping his eyes.

Little Annie looked over at Ana who yawned cozying beside Ross and sulked looking over at Cally who was saying more with his eyes than words possibly could.

"Look just... go sleep over there by the corner if you want," Little Annie tisked.

"Are you sure I can?" Ana asked standing up rubbing her eyes.

"Sure," she shrugged with a frown, "You too, dude-"

"-Ross Paige and she's Ana."

"Ross Paige and Ana," she nodded, "Just sleep it off for a while, me and Cally aren't going to do anything to you, you're safe here and if there's danger or trouble we'll definitely let you two know about it."

"Thank you," Ross nodded gratefully.

"Don't push it," Annie muttered.

Cally walked off out of the cockpit and pointed to the back of the bay.

"We can sleep over there?" Ana asked.

Cally nodded displaying a comforting smile.

"The back is the quietest part of the tank," Little Annie explained.

"Thank you," Ross smiled holding his hand out to him. Cally shook his hand.

"Cally why don't you come up here with me for a little bit okay? I'm sure they won't do anything stupid."

He nodded walking up behind her and whacked her behind the head.

"What was that for, shit for brains?" she winced rubbing her head. Cally mimed to her and urged her with a shrug. She sighed rolling her eyes, "Fine, okay look, there are blankets there too. We never use them. I sleep with my coat here, and Cally never actually needs sheets of his own. I don't know how clean they are, they're kind of dusty and water stained, but you can use them."

"We appreciate it," Ana whispered pulling the sheet out and walking over to the corner. Ana spread the blanket along the floor in the corner looking back at Little Annie and Cally who sat side by side quietly.

"Blankets," Ana smiled excitedly, "Blankets!"

"I know," Ross chuckled basking in her satisfaction.

"We can sleep tonight."

"I don't know how long it will last, but let's turn in right now and get sleep while the getting is good."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ana shrugged crawling down along the floor soaking in the blanket's warmth with near ecstasy and leaned back against the corner. Ross crouched down sliding beside her and she draped the blanket over him cozying beside him and closed her eyes. Moments of silence passed between the two of them as they dozed off in mere moments. Little Annie sighed with her eyes closed and Cally stirred looking back.

"It's just their snoring," Little Annie assured him looking to her side, "Don't worry about it, it's a new sound for us."

Cally nodded settling in to his seat.

"Was this a good idea?" Little Annie asked.

Cally shrugged pursing his lips unsure.

"The one with the beard is cute," she smirked.

He cringed nodding.

"He is," she insisted softly.

He rolled his eyes sighing as he slid down in his seat resting his head against the wall. Little Annie looked back at Ross momentarily and sighed dozing off.

"Forty three," Little Annie muttered leaning along her seat face to face with Cally, "Try it again." Cally flipped his coin and smacked his hand looking down.

"Forty-four," she gloated holding her hands out with a yarn cat's cradle between her fingers, "I'm winning."

Cally argued nodding.

"It's been forty-four for me," she shrugged holding the cat's cradle rotating it, "You can't argue with fate, buddy boy." He tore the cat's cradle palming the coin as she groaned yanking it from the floor.

"You know you're a real spoiled sport," she grumbled forming the cat's cradle with her fingers again. Cally flipped the coin and lifted his hand up. Cally smiled excitedly pointing to his chest.

"Okay, fine, thirty three to forty four, don't brag until we're neck and neck."

Cally looked over to the back of the tank with a grimace. Little Annie looked over with the cat's cradle along her hands, "Don't worry about it. They're just tired. When people are really tired they'll make no movement."

Cally raised his brow.

"It's true," she insisted rotating the cat's cradle, "My big brother used to work non-stop at the factory near my trailer park building motor parts, and sometimes he's drop on to the couch in front of the TV and fall asleep barely making a sound or movement."

Cally smiled nodding.

"I'm serious," she chortled, "My mom had a broom stick she'd poke him with to make sure he was still breathing because he was like a rock."

Cally smirked nodding and looked over at Ross and Ana who were crouched down in to the darkness of the cargo bay fast asleep. It'd been two days of sheer sleep and almost no stirring. Ana lay along Ross' chest snoring as Ross lay along his back sighing with every release of his breath.

"How much do you want to bet she's not a real blond?" Little Annie joked.

Cally rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying what do you think the odds are?"

Cally pointed to his head.

"Roots mean nothing."

He insisted pointing to his head.

"Okay, fine, so she's a natural blond," Little Annie sighed bunching up the yarn. Ana yawned groaning and stood up slowly. Cally stood up alarmed as she pulled herself up. "Relax," Little Annie whispered watching her, "She's probably just tired."

Cally nodded yanking his sword.

"Okay, Ana, you should say something before he starts swinging, seriously."

"It's me, it's me," she whispered yawning.

"See?" Little Annie sighed.

Cally slid down in his seat.

"Geez, cool it with the sword Yojimbo, you're really harshing my mellow."

"Is everything okay?" Ana whispered sitting down along the bench.

"Everything's fine as wine," Little Annie nodded, "We're just parked here for a while until I figure out where we're going next. You and your boyfriend have been asleep for two days at least."

"I was exhausted," Ana nodded rubbing her eyes, "I didn't mean to impose."

"No imposing," Little Annie shrugged, "It's a good thing you didn't snore or have any nightmares. Nothing I hate more than people who wake up screaming."

"Like you?"

"How'd you know?"

"You seemed to speak from experience."

"Yeah, well nurse, I have a lot of issues. Abuse, neglect, cannibal monsters tearing the guts out of my friends."

"What's with you?" Ana asked.

"Nothing."

"Why are you so defensive toward me? I'm barely awake."

"Sorry," Little Annie sighed, "I'm a little wound up, I haven't had company in a while and living like a caveman, it's tough to get pleasant and polite, you know?"

Ana nodded yawning, "Any eggs or coffee?"

She chortled groaning softly as Ana chuckled.

"Oh, if only," Little Annie sighed wiping her face, "I miss those small things. Ice cold orange juice. Piping hot coffee. Runny eggs. Brushing my teeth every morning... deodorant... I'm still mourning deodorant."

"Long hot showers."

"Oh god," she groaned anxiously, "I'd give anything for a long hot shower, man."

"I had this ritual where I'd brush my teeth, drink a cold cup of OJ to cool my mouth off, and then top it off with coffee."

"My bandmates used to wash their mouths out with gin."

"Really?"

"It's cliche, but... they were never about being original when we sang together."

"Little Annie," Ana nodded.

"Yep."

"Blackout."

"Yes, that's me," she raised her hand, "I went from front woman to barely making it out alive in minutes flat... it's a wonder I'm still here."

"I had three of your CD's."

"Only three?" she joked.

"My husband Luis thought your music sucked," she shrugged patting her sides. Little Annie smiled.

"Smart guy... what happened to him?"

"He's not here right now," Ana declared with a grim tone.

"I see," Little Annie nodded.

"This is going to sound like a dumb question but... how do you use the bathroom around here?"

"That depends," Little Annie nodded, "Which one do you want to use?"

"That question scares me."

"I got two options for you, nurse."

"I have to pee," she admitted.

Cally stood up walking over to a small compartment under the bench and pulled out a large blue bucket handing it to her.

"You piss behind the net there... wipe yourself... and then here comes the hard part: You have to go up there, open the lid, toss out the piss, and close it back up."

Ana sighed looking down at the bucket.

"I wish I could say it's an easy process, but when you gotta go, you gotta go." Ana looked down at the bucket with dread.

"You could hold it," Little Annie shrugged, "But I don't know how long you can before your bladder bursts, and then... well, hospital service is gone."

"Fine," Ana nodded with a grimace.

"We won't look," Little Annie assured her, "You have to take a hands on approach, though, I'm not too keen on handling other people's feces. I'm not that desperate yet."

Ana pursed her lips, "Can you turn please?"

Little Annie patted Cally's shoulder and they turned their backs on her. She walked over to the back of the tank and set the bucket down behind her.


	7. Six: Bad Company

"This guy is sitting on the top of a trailer popping off rounds, one by one by one," Little Annie explained chewing with her hands forming an invisible rifle, "And he's popping one, then another, and just hitting whatever comes his way, and before I knew it he was gone out of sight and the shooting stopped within an instant."

"What happened?" Ana asked biting in to an apple.

"It turns out his wife had turned, reached up through the bottom, and yanked him inside," she scoffed biting in to the apple nodding, "Goddamn that must have been a sight from the beginning to the end. I think to myself what happened. Did he go outcold allowing her to tear in to him or did this warrior try to stop her and fail?"

"We saw a lot of that, too," Ross nodded biting anxiously in to an apple chewing hungrily. He wiped his mouth, "There were so many chaotic moments in the middle of the fall of the world it was just impossible to keep your head straight."

"I can imagine," Little Annie nodded.

"At one point-I can still remember this-," he turned to Ana, "-I'm standing on the deck of this cruise ship watching the guns fire off at every direction, people falling off of docks in to the water, and I just couldn't tell me left hand from my right hand-"

"Did you see a lot of shit going down?" Little Annie asked.

"More than I want to admit to," Ana nodded looking down in the Midnight Rider that afternoon as they huddled together on the floor trading stories and going over some freshly picked apples found in a hideout from a tree. Ana and Ross picked as many as they could possibly handle, sending down more apples than either had seen in a long time, and they were pigging out.

"I killed a lot of people...," Ana continued, "I... helped kill a baby, too."

"A baby?" Little Annie scoffed.

Cally raised his brows surprised.

"How old was it?"

"Newborn," Ana nodded, "In a sense."

"Damn that's hardcore," Little Annie smirked.

"It's not funny," Ana grumbled.

"I never said it was," Little Annie shrugged, "I'm just saying it's a cold move, but I'm sure you had your reasons. There's no such thing as a bad reason to kill anyone in this new world, you know?"

"Whatever happened to the mall?" Ross asked setting the finished apple down.

"The last I remember, it was being taken over by the dead."

"That sucks," Little Annie sighed coyly biting in to a new apple, "There aren't many malls around here anymore. They've all been looted by survivors or by nomads. I even saw some nomads commandeering a few as a homebase or something."

"That's weird," Ross sighed.

"Yeah, they really know their shit," Little Annie nodded leaning back along the bench, "They're making it their mission to choke the remaining shopping areas dry and then leave us picking berries and twigs because then we'll get so desperate we can go to them and beg for their help..."

"And you know this how?" Ana asked.

"What do you think I just drive this tank and sit with my thumb up my butt all day long?" Little Annie sniped.

"It sounds like something a nomad would know."

"You don't have to be a nomad to know these morons."

"So you're not a nomad?"

"Do I look like a fucking nomad to you?" Little Annie grumbled.

"I'm just trying to figure you out," Ana shrugged.

"Don't poke me," Little Annie warned.

"Alright, calm down," Ross ordered, "There's no need to get aggressive-"

"-No fuck that," Little Annie scoffed, "You guys must think I'm a nomad right?"

"No one is saying that," Ross replied.

"Maybe you're not, but the nurse is, so just say what you have to."

"You're playing games with our lives and I want to know why you're doing it."

"Playing games with you lives?" Little Annie chuckled, "How-?"

"-You're keeping us here on a temporary basis, you say we're getting off soon, but never indicate when or why, and we haven't done anything to break your trust, so can you tell me what you're doing with us?"

"I don't owe you an explanation Blondie."

"I think you do Punk Rock Barbie, because if you're planning on giving us up to the nomads for protection or food or water, let me know so I can leave right now."

"You have some fucking nerve," Little Annie scoffed, "You should be thanking me for saving both of your asses-!"

"-Thank you," Ana nodded, "Can you tell us if we're staying or are you keeping us here until you get tired of us?"

"Fuck you," Little Annie grumbled storming off.

"What was that?" Ross sighed looking up at her.

"She's playing god with us and I'm sick of it. For two days she's been poking fun at me, mocking me, reminding us we're just temps here in this tank of hers, I'm sick of it."

"You didn't have to rile her up," Ross insisted standing up, "If you remember we still don't know her. Odds are she's a nomad, and maybe she isn't. But whether she is or isn't, it doesn't mean she's not anymore dangerous than an actual nomad. Remember she still has us under her control, she has a bigger gun, and she also has someone with her who can chop us in fifty-fifty in our sleep."

"So what do you want me to do, obey her wishes?"

"No!"

"She made us go and pick those apples for an hour risking our necks, I'm not going to be her fucking servant girl-"

"-Just calm down a bit," Ross insisted, "You're paranoia is getting the better of you, don't you get that?"

"I'm tired of this crap," Ana sighed, "I want to know if this is permanent or not, because I can't be comfortable until she tells us."

"Then go ahead and cool off for a while in the corner there, take a nap, I'll go and smooth things over for us, okay?"

"Right," Ana nodded walking off in to the corner. Ross tisked walking up to the cockpit as Little Annie set her apple down slipping her gloves on and revved the engine up pulling back out of the alleyway.

"Can I have that seat?" Ross asked.

"Sure," Little Annie mumbled looking ahead as they sped off, "Fuck it."

He settled in the thick black chair and looked back at Ana who crouched down dozing off while Cally gathered the remaining apples tucking them away safely.

"I'm sorry about her."

"Whatever."

"She's just paranoid. We've been this close to being found by nomads, and she's just nervous about falling in to a trap."

She nodded with a grimace.

"So you're not a nomad?"

"Nope," she nodded with a whisper, "But I've met them."

"Time was when the worst thing imaginable was a walking bloated corpse staggering through a door."

She nodded with a soft scoff.

"I miss those days," she mumbled speeding down the broken street past a school that leaked the dead who followed the motor groaning, "Now you have to be careful with everything around you..."

"What was your run in like with the nomads?"

"I don't know it was awful. Racist, thieving, murderous pricks. I nearly got raped by one when this all started out and barely made it out with my skivvies in tact."

"We had a run in with the nomads a while back when we got off the boat."

"Really?"

"We uh... got off the deck and started making our way South of the seaport and saw these men in army fatigues swigging whiskey and firing whatever came their way. They shot pelicans, seagulls, the dead, whatever, and we braved it and walked up to them trying to make some connections and hopefully help each other out..."

She nodded with a grimace.

"And... the head bastard they called Yellowhorn-"

"-Yellowhorn?" she chuckled.

"Right...," he nodded, "He takes his gun and points at us and starts laughing like he couldn't control himself and... he starts counting down."

"Shit..."

"Ana being her sweet self tried to bargain with him but the minute he started going in to five, I yanked her and we just started running as fast as humanly possible."

"What happened after that?"

"They started firing at us... and I know it because I felt the bullets breeze past my head four times, and their laughs were just echoing for miles."

"Goddamn," she sighed annoyed.

"I was in disbelief. Here were a bunch of guys who could help us and they just laughed at us and tried to shoot us down... it was mind-blowing and I really think Ana would have been kidnapped after they shot me and done god knows what."

"And there's not a damn thing anyone can do to stop them."

He nodded sliding down in his seat.

"You have to shave that beard," she scoffed.

"I plan on it," he smirked.

"I bet there's a cute face under the fur and hair there."

"Ana loves to touch the face fuzz," he chuckled rubbing his cheek.

"Some girls have all the luck."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"What is your problem with her?"

"She rubs me the wrong way," Little Annie admitted quickly, "She just does, I don't know what it is, but I don't like her."

"She's a sweetheart, trust me."

"She's also getting on my nerves. Sorry, but it's the truth. She has this... high and mighty routine that's annoying me."

"You've been poking at her too."

"I know," she sighed shyly, "I'll try to stop that."

He nodded looking off as she mowed down four deadheads with ease.

"Just stand between us when the fireworks go off and we'll be fine."

"Deal," he nodded, and looked up, "What's that?"

"A crucifix."

"You believe in god?"

"I guess," she confessed, a little ashamed.

"How?

"I don't know. I never believed in him or her or... it... before this happened. I always thought religion was just a crutch for the weak to use to make sense out of things that just don't. I always knew it was just another form of crooked government, but after I lost my best friends, I just kind of took it and hung it there. Yeah, I know it's a crutch, and I know when the shit hits the fan, it won't protect me, but I just keep it there to make sense out of something that just doesn't. Like-

"-For comfort?"

"Yeah," she replied a tender smile, "It's comforting, not as comforting as a gun," she declared as Ross laughed, "But still, it's a crutch that gets me by... you know?"

"Yeah. I respect that.

"That makes me weak I guess.

"No, no," Ross assured her, "Not at all. It makes you human. I always thought a little hope goes a long way."

"I lost some great friends," She said with glassy eyes, "A lot of friends. Some people I'd never have met in real life, but, god, they were the best friends I've ever had."

"Same here," he nodded, "Look uh... are you sure we can't persuade you to let us stay a little while longer?"

"Listen..."

"It's not for me it's for her. She really wants this, and she's really tired."

"I don't know," she shrugged with a frown.

"She can help you, she can contribute a lot to this tank, and so can I."

"I know _**you**_ can."

"She shouldn't be out there digging through garbage for food and drinking rain water, she should be safe, and I'd be so grateful."

"You really like her don't you?"

"I'm in love with her."

"Love?" she asked surprised, "How long have you known her?"

"Long enough to know I'm in love with her."

She nodded slightly disappointed.

"She's desperate, and we're losing it out there, it's ridiculous, you have no idea."

"I do," she nodded.

"Please... is there anything I can do to convince you?"

She pursed her lips thinking and nodded, "I don't know..."

"Ross."

"Ross," she nodded, "I don't know... I don't trust you two..."

"We're in your company right now and you have us in your caravan, so why not let us stay for a little while longer to put her at ease? When I was out there we'd have about six of my men looking out at all directions. Me and Ana can scavenge while you wait here with a quick getaway, we can keep you company, we can help you drive this thing when you're-"

"-No, no," she raised her finger, "No one, I repeat, no one drives this bitch but me, and that's a rule right here and now."

"Fine, then we can be a co-pilot, we can help you look for supplies, I mean four eyes are better than two."

"That's true..."

"And Cally could use some medical attention-"

"-You two have a gurney and some antibiotics?" she joked.

"No, but... Ana can help him, and she can help you too. What if he hurts himself out there? She can be of good use to you."

She pursed her lips thinking to herself.

"I'm an idiot," she sighed heavily.

"Is that a yes?" Ross chuckled with hope.

"You have to set her straight on me-"

"-I will."

"I'm not a fucking nomad."

"I'll assure her of that, but you have to give me a definitive time frame of how long we're going to be here, too."

"Fine... just... fine, you two can stay for as long as you want-"

"-Thank you!" Ross sighed relieved.

"But don't step on my toes."

"Your toes are off limits from here on in," he stood up, "I'm going to go tell her, thank you so much." He rushed off. She looked back with a grin watching them embrace and saluted Ross silently with a flirtatious wink. She exhaled flustered, "Welcome aboard..."


	8. Seven: Gimme Shelter

CHAPTER NAME: GIMME SHELTER

That morning felt like every other morning. Some Z's here and there followed by some naps. They'd all raided a small pharmacy and as usual Ana was in the back sorting the supplies she could use to administer treatment as Cally sat across from her sorting through the meds and stale candy Annie had collected for him. Ross couldn't help but feel his military presence take over and that morning was spent most of the time beside Annie guiding the Midnight Rider through the tundra and Annie continued eying Ross from afar noting his beard and shaggy hair. She groaned smacking a small packet down along Ross's lap, "Here, okay?"

"What's this?" Ross asked.

"It's for that baby face of yours."

Ross broke in to small chortling and then raucous laughter as he opened up a small packet holding a beard trimming pair of scissors.

"This is excellent, where did you get this?"

"When we raided that small pharmacy-"

"-You risked your life for a pair of scissors?" Ross smirked.

"Consider it a peace offering, okay? Just don't get all sentimental on me, alright?"

"Deal, I won't," Ross nodded chuckling.

"Hey look," Ana pointed ahead tightening her ponytail.

"I'm not stopping."

"Even for an idling car?" Ross asked.

"Fine," Annie grunted.

They stopped the tank and drove up along side a black jeep parked in a curb, untouched and unscathed and it drew a curious grimace from Ana.

"Look," she said pointing to it.

"It's a car," Annie replied.

"I know that, but the engine is running," she deduced.

"You want to check it out?" asked Ross.

"There could be survivors somewhere who are coming back,' she urged.

"Or the survivors may have been killed an hour ago and the engine is still running," Annie replied.

"Then how come there's no blood on it?" she argued.

"Why not wait to see if someone comes for it?" asked Ana.

"Because it's wasting time."

"Fine, stop the arguing," Ross demanded, "Ana we'll go check it out, Annie you watch our back, would you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Annie groaned. They grabbed their rifles and climbed up the ladder swinging their legs over the top and climbed down on to the ground as Annie pulled back.

"I hope you're right about this," Ross sighed.

"It's worth a shot."

Ross and Ana walked silently forward with their guns drawn and looked over at the car. Ross knelt down looking under the car and kept his gun drawn looking around. Ana stepped forward hearing music in the car and furrowed her brows. She could hear the slight drumming from CCR's "Traveling Band" on the radio as she grabbed the handle and attempted to open the door. Suddenly two shots rang out, Ana gave a cry tumbling back to the ground.

"Ana!" Ross yanked her from the ground and stood up.

"My eye," she groaned.

"What the fuck was that?" Ross exclaimed ducking down behind the car. A figure emerged from the darkness of a store feet away, and out Rush appeared from the darkness of the doorway with his cockblockers pointed at them, "The next time I won't miss!" he yelled sternly. He quickly stepped forward drawing his gun as Ross held his pistol up, "My gun's bigger," Rush declared, "Put the gun down."

"Fuck you," Ross replied.

"Fuck me?" Rush asked with a scoff pointing his gun at Ana, "Will a bullet tattered corpse make you a tough guy?"

"Wait, wait," Ana said standing up and holding her face, "We're not those things."

"Well, thanks I had a hard time telling," Rush remarked, "Not many of those things can walk and talk at the same time. Get the fuck away from my car."

"Can you hold on a second?" she asked, "We mean you no harm!"

"The gun says otherwise," he replied.

"We're not mercenaries," she urged.

"I don't give a fuck," he declared, "Now get. the fuck. away from. my car." She stepped back silently as he gave a sigh. Ross stepped forward attempting to stop him.

"You really do want to die," Rush deduced looking over at him. He shot near Ana's legs, she flinched falling back.

"Motherfucker!" he barked.

"Put the gun down," Rush ordered.

"Fuck you."

Rush shot again knocking Ana back as she groaned dropping her gun.

"The next one goes right into her kneecap, Duke," he warned, "Any one of you a surgeon? You know how painful a bullet to the kneecap is?"

"Ross, just do it, please," Ana panted crawling along the ground.

"Asshole," he grunted dropping his gun to the floor.

Rush shot again knocking Ana back as she yelped frightened. Ross growled stepping back. Rush turned shooting down a drifter.

"Your partner is near death, I'd watch the tongue," Rush said.

"Are you hit?" Ross asked.

"No," she quivered with a whimper pushing herself up.

"Can you hear us out for at least one second?" Ross pleaded.

"Hear this," Rush said quickly drawing a pistol from his holster, "I'm asking once, get away from my car."

"We're not trying to hurt you, we're looking for survivors!"

"I'm asking twice," Rush cocked his gun, "The third strike and you're out."

"Please," Ana urged staggering between them, "We're not trying to steal your stuff or anything, we're just looking for people like us."

"You found me," Rush nodded, "Tell your soldier boy to get away from my car."

"Ross," Ana blurted.

Ross sighed and stood back.

"Good man," Rush replied holstering his gun.

"Can you at least talk for one minute?" Ana asked. He sighed holding the handle to the door and turned crossing his arms, "Okay," Rush replied, "One minute."

"My name is Ana and-"

"-congratu-fucking-lations, Ana," he replied, "I'm Rush and I gotta go."

"Hey, she's trying to be nice here," Ross argued, "You could at least talk to her."

"I don't have to do shit," Rush replied, "To be honest, you're the first live people I've seen in six months, and the last people that I came across nearly blew my fucking brains out. See this?"

He ran his index finger down alongside a jagged scar that went from the tip of his forehead to the top of his eyebrow, "Two black guys did that to me. They shot a wall, the problem was I was right next to it and it nearly took my eye out. Imagine how long I'd last without any eyes out here."

"Look, we're sorry that happened to you," Ana explained, "But we're looking for anyone alive-"

"-Why?"

"Because we want to help," she insisted.

"How can you help me? Huh? How can you two morons help me? Look around you! While you two are playing Unicef, you forgot to notice that we're in the middle of a warzone. It's the stone age here. We're living in cars and caves, fighting these monsters, and last I checked, supplies are running a bit low, so why don't you tell me how you can help me right now."

"You're all alone?" asked Ross.

"I was up until last year. I picked up two people and they went off on some wild goose chase. Haven't heard from them since. And then the gang shit happens."

"It helps to have others there with you," Ana reasoned.

"That's sweet," Rush replied sarcastically, "But unless you want to break into a musical number, I have to go back to reality, okay?"

"What's your problem?" Ross asked.

"You're my problem," Rush replied, "You think bulging your muscles and flashing a gun is going to intimidate me and make me think I'd be better off with you? Well, that's not how it works around here. It's every man for himself-"

He held his gun up in an instant, turned and shot as Ana and Ross flinched. In the distance a body fell to the ground with a thump. She sighed turning to him, "-I don't believe that, and you don't either," Ana argued.

"So now you're my therapist?" Rush asked.

"Back off," Ross warned.

"Hey, private, a little advice: don't poke the guy with the stick," Rush jabbed his gun in to his chest.

"How do you know I'm a soldier?" he asked.

"Come on, man, you wear your stripes on your sleeve," Rush declared, "It's your whole bravado bullshit, the way you talk, walk, demand, the way you held up your pistol there, and not to mention I saw your military issue boots from ten miles away."

Ross sighed.

"Oh not to mention you're like every other military goon pretending unless I come with you, I'm fucked, I never fell for that before and I'm not now."

"Can you at least consider coming with us?" she asked.

"Me, with you two on barefoot?" he asked, "That's funny. Did you see my car?" Rush turned shutting the car off and tore the keys slipping them in to his pocket defying any suspicion of theft he may have with them.

"We're not going to take your car," Ana assured him.

"That's for sure."

"Why not come with us?" she shrugged, "We could help each other out."

"No way in hell am I going on foot out there."

"We have the tank as well," Ross replied.

"That's yours?" asked Rush.

"Yes," she replied.

"Well, it's great looking," Rush sighed impressed, "But I don't know if I want to be together with Gomer Pyle here."

"We're not trying to con you," Ana replied, "We're just trying to get an extra set of eyes with us. Look, you could have killed me," Rush nodded in confirmation, "But you didn't. That must mean something. We're not going to try anything, we just want to help whoever needs it and offer some partnership or something." Rush sighed looking over at Ross, "You I like," he looked over at Ross, "You I don't."

"What's going on?" Annie asked emerging from the tank with her gun drawn.

"Whoa," Rush muttered with a gaping mouth, "Now for her I'd re-consider."

"Yeah, everything is fine here," Ross replied.

"I heard shots or something," she declared.

"Or something," Ana sighed.

"Listen, I'm sorry I shot at you," Rush replied looking at her right arm which had a slight gash, "Just get that fixed up, but if you three don't mind it's starting to get crowded in this area with the talking and noise and fresh meat, so I'm gone."

"You're good with that gun," Ross declared.

"I'm Gandalf with these things," Rush gloated.

"Where'd you train?" he asked.

"Serbia, Syria, mob hits," Rush replied straight-faced.

"You're serious," Ross deduced.

"Very," he replied, "I used to be a gun runner." He saw Annie coming over with a rifle in tow as Ana met her halfway, "God damn," Rush whispered looking over at them, "How do you stay in that small cockpit with those two beauties and not go nuts?"

"You don't even know them," Ross argued.

"I don't have to," Rush grinned devilishly, "But I will say you're luckier than you deserve to be."

"Why don't you watch your mouth?" Ross insisted.

"Oh come on," Rush scoffed, "You being a soldier I can kind of question your urges, but the way you were protecting Ana over there? Hmmm... I bet you get ideas. Even around those zombies."

"Zombies?" asked Ross.

"That's what they are aren't they?" he asked.

"Are you coming?" Ana asked.

"No," Rush replied opening the door to his car.

"Fine," Ross sighed storming off. They all turned walking to the tank as a shot rang out. They kept walking as multiple shots came from the distance. They all turned to see Rush with his Nina pointed and shot repeatedly.

They all looked wide-eyed as groups of the zombies emerged from the distance and Rush continued shooting.

"What the fuck?" Ross asked confused.

"Where'd they come from?" asked Annie.

"Now we HAVE to help him," Ana urged.

"He's not going to come," Ross replied.

"I don't care," Ana replied cocking her rifle, "Come on, he'll die." They all turned and ran to him standing beside him as shots rang out. Rush furrowed his brows in surprise as they began shooting, guns blazing and raised his gun, "They're not stopping!" Rush declared.

"Come on, back in the tank!" Annie ordered running ahead.

"Come on, come on!" Ross urged grabbing him by the shoulder.

"My car!" Rush replied resisting.

"Leave it!" Ross ordered pulling his arm. Rush looked over at the car and huffed running behind them holding his Nina and ran behind them. They all swarmed along the tank jumping on to the haul. Rush turned looking over at the groups who were approaching them and sighed turning to jump in through the hatch. He climbed down and stood looking around.

"Sit," Ana urged.

"Where?" asked Rush.

"Anywhere," she replied.

"Hold on!" Ross ordered. He sat at the cockpit as Annie sat in the co-pilots seat and they sped up through the street with a mighty roar. The crowds of the walking dead gave a groan as the Midnight Rider approached them and Annie cranked up the speed as it steam rolled over their bodies with a loud crunch. There was a slight waver in the tank as Rush and Ana bounced up and looked over by the cockpit.

"You know I could have gotten out of there just fine," Rush argued.

"Sure you would!" Ross argued, "By the time you started the engine, they'd be picking at your insides."

"I was standing in front of my car, jackass," Rush argued, "I would have sped off with enough time to spare had you not decided to play "Saving Private Ryan" with me!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who wanted to get you, you ungrateful asshole!" Ross argued. Rush looked over to Ana silently and looked away embarrassed as she turned looking to the cockpit.

"Thank you," Rush replied.

"It's okay," she replied, "I know how it is."

"Really," he insisted.

"You're welcome," she replied. Cally looked over at Nina laying along Rush's lap and curiously grabbed for it as Rush smacked his hand down on his wrist grasping it. Cally gave a frightened gasp as Rush pulled his hand away.

"Ever try to open a door without hands?" He grunted. He tore his hand away and scowled as he cowered beside Ana.

"He's just a little kid," Ana said.

"Nice fella to stow aboard," Annie joked with a nod, "Yeah, he's really brightening the place up, now."

"Ana and her lost causes," Ross sighed.

"I'm Ana," she declared sticking her hand out to him.

"Rush," he replied shaking her hand.


	9. Eight: Bunker Blues

CHAPTER EIGHT: BUNKER BLUES

They settled at the end of a dead road where the zombies didn't commute, in fact it was one of the rare places in the US where you could go days without seeing one, but that afternoon, the zombies were the least of their troubles as now the group had a new ally in their presence, an obvious uneasy ally who wasn't intending on staying very long. That next hour Rush sat in front of the tank with his Nina by his side as he chugged at his liquor. "You are ballsy," Annie declared standing on the tank hull, "Sitting on the ground and drinking."

"Well, I figure I might not be dead but I can dull my senses like one of them," Rush replied.

"You're not worried?" asked Annie.

"About what?" he asked, "The only thing that worries me is Patton and this tank of his."

"It's mine," she replied, "I picked them up."

"Tell him that, I don't think he has the memo," Rush replied.

"What's your problem with him, anyway?" asked Annie, "He's harmless to you."

"I hate to tell you there, kiddo, but none of us is harmless right now. We're all tired, hungry, stressed, dirty, likely suffering post traumatic stress, and are all squeezed into a tank. That's a formula for fighting. And match that with the liklihood of either of us becoming a zombie just by having a heart attack, and... yeah, we're all very dangerous."

"Jesus," Annie scoffed, "Are you sure you were a criminal or a poet?" Rush chuckled.

"Now Ana is someone I can get behind," Rush declared, "And all over." He scoffed suggestively.

"I'm in the minority," Annie replied.

"Oh, boy," Rush replied, "Nothing better than two good looking broads, than two good looking broads fighting."

"That's very appealing," Annie cringed.

"Sorry," Rush replied, "I didn't mean that in a chauvenistic way, I meant it more in a horny kind of way." He chugged the bottle with a sigh.

"Great," Annie shrugged, "We'll be carrying a drunk most of the way now."

"Want some?" Rush asked holding the bottle up.

"Okay," She blurted yanking the bottle with a mighty gulp.

"Ow," Ana yelped. Ross sat in front of Ana picking pieces of metal from her arm wound as she cringed in pain.

"Motherfucker," Ross grunted.

"It wasn't his fault," Ana argued.

"If he had killed you, I-" He sighed. She kissed him, "I don't think it was a good idea picking him up."

"He's a nice guy," Ana insisted, "We were talking for a while, and he's not bad. Not to mention he's a great shooter."

"He sure is," replied Ross, "I didn't even see that thing coming up on us."

"We need more eyes," Ana replied, "And we're safe here with them."

"Okay," Ross replied, "If you're so certain he's a good guy, we'll stick with him. I just can't promise he'll stay with us."

"I know," replied Ana, "I'll try to convince him."

"I know you," Rush said looking to Annie, "Don't I?"

"I think so," Annie replied cradling her rifle.

"Yeah," Rush thought for a second, "We met in Thailand back in 85, right?"

"What?" she asked confused.

"I'm kidding," Rush replied, "You're little Annie, right?"

"Bingo," she replied.

"I hate your music," Rush declared.

She looked over in surprise and gave a laugh.

"Well, at least you're honest," Annie laughed.

Rush looked off to the side, and down again. He capped the bottle and slid his hand over by his left side.

"Hey Annie?"

"Huh?"

"Don't shoot," he warned.

"What do you mean?" Rush stood up and held the his pistol up, took a silencer and twisted it on the barrel.

"What are you doing?" she asked cautiously.

"Don't shoot," he insisted.

"What-?"

"-Look," he pointed over by a small bush as two zombies emerged on the road making their way to them. Annie gasped and drew her rifle, "Hey!" Rush said shoving the rifle away, "What part of "Don't shoot" do you not understand?"

"If I don't shoot them they'll come," Annie argued.

"If you do, the others will hear the bangs, follow the bouncing ball, and our cover is blown," Rush explained.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"That, my girl, is what silencers are for," he held the gun up for display and walked casually along the road. They saw him and staggered to him, he drew eye contact, lifted the gun and shot them down with two brief clicks. He looked over to see if there were anymore and turned holstering his gun as he walked to Annie.

"See?" he asked, "You can fight back without making yourself seen."

"Alright," she replied, "You make your point."

"I thought you said this was a dead zone?"

"It is. Maybe they just heard us talking or something."

"Well, right now, it seems to be pretty active."

"Where did you get these weapons?"

"I have a weapons armory not far from here."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "Maybe I'll take you there someday."

"Someday soon."

"Fine," he replied climbing on the hull, "Let's go back into our home and meet up with the kids."

"Let's," she shrugged, "But you know, you're teaching me all that war stuff."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Rush.

"And I want a silencer, too," she insisted.

"Yes, ma'am," Rush sighed, "You know, just because I don't like your music doesn't mean we can't-"

"-Oh, please," Annie replied.

"It was worth a shot," replied Rush, "I'm very backed up after all." They climbed into the hatch preparing to sleep that night, the camouflage cover over the tank that night, "Are you sure this place is safe?" asked Rush.

"It's as safe as it's going to get," replied Ross.

"That's not assuring," replied Rush.

"We're fine here," Annie assured him, "Trust me."

"You're scared of them?" joked Ross.

"So are you," replied Rush, "If your ass were any tighter with fear, you could stick an acorn in there and grow a tree."

"Alright," Ana replied, "Can we just stop the arguing for the night?"

"It's fine with me," Rush shrugged. He walked over to his spot and shoved Cally out of his way, "You know I'm not that bad a guy."

"So I've heard," replied Ross, "But you can understand my worry with your-"

"-With my what?" Rush asked.

"With everything you do, your John Wayne act," Ross replied.

"Steve McQueen actually," Rush joked.

"I can never know if a criminal will sell us out at the drop of a dime when the shit hits the fan," Ross declared.

"Who am I going to sell you out to? I don't know many walking corpses that can operate a firearm," asked Rush, "And I was the one kidnapped."

"Try rescued," replied Ross.

"God, did you not just hear her?" asked Annie, "Shut the fuck up!" There was a long silence in the cabin.

Rush gave a sigh, "Alright, to prevent any further arguing, I stay here the night and tomorrow you take me back to my car, truce?"

"Fine by me," replied Ross.

"You're leaving?" asked Annie.

"I have to," replied Rush, "I don't work well in a team."

"What about you?" asked Annie, "What are you going to do?"

"The same thing I've been doing before you met me," replied Rush.

"You'll die," she insisted.

"Probably," replied Rush, "But it's going to have to happen eventually."

"Ross, can I speak to you?" asked Ana. She climbed up the ladder as Ross gave a sigh following after her. Rush looked over at Cally who was asleep and winked at Annie.

"Alright, get it over with," replied Ross.

"Why are you so threatened by him?" she asked.

"Because I don't trust him," Ross insisted, "God, Ana, look at him. He was a fucking gunrunner, what makes you think he won't trade us in if we run through nomads?"

"I don't know that," Ana replied, "But we need him."

"We don't need him," Ross replied, "We were doing just fine on our own without him."

"He's a great shooter, he's as good as Casper was," she insisted.

"You're comparing Casper to that joker?" laughed Ross.

"The fact is you're not making this easier," she declared, "Neither of you are. Stop this bullshit, already. He's not the enemy here." She stormed off climbing back in to the tank as Ross huffed looking back. It was obvious the stay with one another wouldn't be easy, but for her he was willing to put up with Rush that night. He still didn't trust him, and by the way he eyeballed Ana and Annie all the time, he was worried about his intentions to the group.


	10. Nine: Dead End

"So are you going to tell me what your deal is?" Rush asked sitting at the cockpit.

"My Deal?" Annie asked sitting at the immobile behemoth's T-Bar, "Whatever do you mean, Rush? Rush. What the fuck kind of name is that?"

"You ever hear of Rush Limbaugh before?"

"Yeah but no one willingly names their kids Rush."

"Well, my sweet ol' mama did, and you're Little Annie. Why Little Annie?"

"Ever hear of Led Zeppelin."

"So-ho," Rush chuckled, "You're a classic rock lunkhead."

"And you're all Vivaldi and Mozart, correct?"

"No, no, no, I likes my rock, but I don't tag myself after a damn rock band song."

"Well, you're not me."

"You know Little Annie is a slut."

"Excuse me?"

"In the song. Little Annie is a slutbag whore."

"Well this Little Annie isn't."

"What do you look for in a guy?"

"I like the authoritarian types," she grinned chortling, "The-"

"-Ross types."

Annie blushed beet red looking off.

"Damn, I was right?" Rush whispered leaning forward.

"Just... shut your damn mouth, okay?"

"I can read women like no one else, I tell you."

"Do you have any more booze on you?"

"A skosh-"

"-A skosh?" she laughed in response.

"But only if you answer a question for me."

"I'm going to regret it, but sure, why not?"

"What about Ross turns you on so much?" he whispered.

"I don't know, he just does," she whispered looking back at them as they chatted in a corner beside Cally who listened intently, "Ever since I was a girl I wanted that cop or drill sergeant to..."

"Teach you something about discipline?" he scoffed.

"Yes, and no okay?" She chortled, "I just fancy people like Ross is all, got me?"

"Got you," he replied handing her a bottle, "And that honesty deserves a drink ladies and gentlemen, let's give her a hand."

"What about you?" she asked throwing back the booze, "What's your type?"

"You're my type," he admitted, "You sexy ass rocker chicks. Suicide girls and the like. I love them. I used to have two at a time come over to my condo when I was living the American dream, and now I have to be couped up with one who prefers the authority over the rebel."

"Some rebel. You wipe the bottle every time you take a sip."

"It's sanitary, Little Annie."

"Well, don't spread around my likings to Nurse Ana, please."

"No, I keep everything to myself. Some things I can tell without even being told I keep to myself, you wouldn't believe it."

"Is that a threat?"

"No," he sighed leaning back closing his eyes, "That's just a word to you whom are listening to us talk." He looked back at Ross who had his eyes planted on them the entire time. Ana pushed him away annoyed at his nosiness.

"Relax, Captain America."

"Is bringing that booze on here a good idea?"

"She's not going to drink and drive are you, Annie?"

"A little numbness never hurt anyone Ross, don't worry about it."

"Focus on your own shit."

"Do you have to leave us so soon?" Ross asked.

"I'm afraid so sugar tits," Rush shrugged, "But I'll make my last night on here a naughty one, whaddya say? I'm gonna take a piss." He staggered past Annie and climbed up the ladder past Cally who rushed over to Annie's side tending to her worried.

"What is the big deal with Rush, honestly?" Annie asked.

"He bugs me," Ross replied.

"He's trying to bug you!" Annie argued.

"That's what I've been telling him," Ana shrugged.

"Fuck it," Rush replied sliding down the ladder swiftly, "I say we go for a scavenge, what do you think? I'm hungry and there's a store right around the corner from us that looks filled. Any takers?"

"You actually want to scavenge?" Ana asked.

"Only if Annie agrees to go with me."

"What about her tank?" Ross asked.

"You know how to drive one, don't you?" Rush asked.

Ana scoffed, "She won't let anyone touch it-"

"No, I'll go," Annie sighed standing up.

"Excellent," Rush scoffed.

"Ross, I'm entrusting you with this big bitch if something happens to me."

"Is it smart to be doling out the wills before you even return?"

"Better safe than sorry. I want to find some things out about Rush here. Maybe we find out his name." She held her AK up and packed it full metal jacket and all climbing up the ladder as Rush watched her drooling.

"She can have whatever she wants from me," Rush swooned following after her.

"Well, come on," Annie replied sitting along the haul. Rush followed after, packing his cockblockers and stood beside her as they dropped to the floor looking around. "You're even hotter with the fucking gun," Rush confessed.

"Thanks," Annie, "It goes well with my hair color, don't you think?"

He scoffed.

"So, I want to ask you," she whispered.

"Am I a nomad?" he whispered walking carefully beside her past the tank.

"It's a mighty peculiarity around the community of the midnight rider."

"Well what do you think?"

"I think... I don't know, let's focus on the job at hand."

"No, I want to know."

"Why... Why don't you just admit it?" Annie asked lugging the rifle.

"Admit what?" Rush asked clutching his cockblocker.

"You love this shit."

"I don't."

"Oh the hell you don't," she chuckled, "You love being out here, this is paradise-"

"-You have it all wrong-"

"-I see you out there, you're like every other nomad-"

"-Wait a minute," he barked, "Don't you ever compare me to them-"

Her smile melted, "-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"-Real nomads don't do what I do, those nomads do things that would put you in to shock, I've seen them slaughter farm houses filled with families, I've seen them kill off survivors for candy bars, I've seen them strap five year old girls to planks and use them for sex toys-"

"-Rush, okay," Annie insisted softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say you were them, I believe you."

Rush nodded.

"I was just saying you seem comfortable out here."

"No, I'm not," Rush insisted, "I fucking hate it, I'm scared shitless when I'm awake, I'm scared shitless when I'm asleep, I haven't had five minutes to sit down and relax since this started, I can't even take a shit without looking over my shoulder. This is not fun, this is not play land, this is hell, we're in hell, this around you? This has changed us in to cavemen, and I don't like it. We're monkeys with guns putting everything in to living for one more hour against these monsters, and it sucks."

Her smile faded noticing Rush's anguish and looked off.

"So why don't you just put a gun to your head and finish it?"

"Why should I?" Rush shrugged, "I was here first."

"That's mature," she joked.

"I mean it," Rush insisted, "I go down when I decide."

He turned walking off.

"You honestly believe you have a choice?"

"No, but it keeps me going through the day."

"I don't get it... why do you seem so comfortable out there, then?"

"I don't know," he shrugged walking, "I just adapted I guess. We're in the wilderness, babe, it's either adapt to your surroundings, or lie down in the street naked and wait a few minutes."

"Yeah, that's true," she nodded looking off.

"I'm not letting anyone beat me that easily," Rush nodded, "The day I decide enough is enough, I'm going off in to a dark corner, and blasting my head off."

"Amen," Annie replied patting his back, "I'm sorry, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Rush sighed, "Let's just-"

"-Wait," she halted waving her gun around, "We're being followed."

"The hell we are, I have ears like a hawk."

"We're being fucking followed..."

"Nomads?" Rush asked, "No, I checked the perimeter here, there's no signs of them around this quarter."

"Just wait..." she whispered aiming and waving her gun around as Rush drew his cockblockers awaiting a response from afar. Moments went by and nothing happened. Only their breathing could be heard within five meters.

"That store better be fucking worth it, Rush."

"It is," Rush whispered lowering his guns, "Trust me."

"If you're leading me int..."

"What?" Rush asked turning to her, "If I'm what?"

"Nothing, I just made a mistake."

"If I'm what? Continue your statement."

"Nothing," she emphasized, "I just had some of Ross lingering in my mind-"

"-You were going to say if I'm leading you in to a nomad trap-"

"-Yeah, and I'm sorry, okay?"

"It's a good thing I'm leaving tomorrow," Rush sighed walking ahead, "It looks like not even the hot rebel rocker chick trusts me."

"Rush I apologized," she explained, "I'm not going to do it again."

"Oh look who's miss Standoffish all of a sudden."

"What does that mean?"

"Now I get to say nothing," Rush scoffed walking off.

"Here," Annie halted looking around.

"It's small," Rush whispered clutching his cock blocker in his right hand.

"Keep your eyes focused and ahead at all times."

"You don't have to tell me twice," he whispered walking in to the dark and dusky convenience store.


	11. Ten: Nomads, Nasty

"Knock knock," he whispered firing his gun off at a shadow behind the counter.

"What are you doing?" she asked looking back.

"Flushing out the dead," he replied firing off again.

"It's time to go."

"Wait, wait, wait," he shot a bag of chips knocking it to the floor and awaited a reprise. He shot again and again. This time Annie fired off a round and they entered the store completely, looking out on to darkness.

"It's all clear?" she asked with a bolder loud voice.

"I don't know, but making noise will attract them from the outside."

"Sorry," she whispered lowering her voice.

"Go," Rush whispered as they entered firing off shots from a distance and halted aiming swiftly. "It's all clear," Rush replied.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, "We've shot down about seven so far."

"Let's leave then."

"No, I'm hungry."

"Alright, then jump the counter," he advised. She slid over the counter and dropped down aiming around her as Rush gazed impressed.

"You said jump the counter."

"I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"My uncle ran a shop down by the trailer park and I kind of picked up the skill a bit, sue me," she shrugged aiming her gun around her.

"Well, unless they're hiding from us, I don't see anymore."

"Okay, then begin the haul."

"Deal," he replied grabbing food from the shelves as he held his gun high ahead of him, "Hurry it up."

"We're losing sunlight," she admitted opening the register.

"You know that money is worthless, don't you?"

"I do, but I just like the feel of it between my hands," Annie scoffed, "I miss the feel of money between my fingers. It's comfortable."

"You're American, alright."

A groan. Rush shot. A thud echoed in the corner.

"Get out from the counter," he warned.

She jumped over it sliding on to the floor and aimed behind Rush awaiting his return. "Rush, don't go far."

"I promise," he said stuffing a small bag up with old cans of vegetables.

"Shit, Ana was right about you," Annie declared.

"What did the kind nurse say?"

"Nothing."

"I feel like it's three against one in that tank."

"You're leaving in the morning, right?"

"Yep, and that's too bad. I think something good could have happened between us. We're alike you and me, you know?"

"Maybe," she scoffed aiming her AK 47.

"Alright, let's go," he huffed. She shot and Rush fell to his knees as a body tumbled to the floor. He yelped kicking it back and slid back along the floor as Annie rushed forward.

"Don't worry, I got it."

"Shit," he panted looking down at the decrepit woman lying at his toes, "She snuck up on me."

"So much for your ears."

"Let's get the fuck out of here," he stumbled to his feet and held the bag over his shoulder as they rushed down the sidewalk.

"Shit," he panted.

"Yet again the infamous Rush escapes death's clutches, eh?"

"Yeah, don't remind me, okay? I'm sick of this scavenging shit. The first chance we get we're picking up more people."

"Says who?"

"Says me. More eyes are better than two."

"Let's get to the tank before they start worrying about us-"

A shot went off beside Annie, she gave a yelp. Rush grunted and tackled her to the ground as the pillars exploded from their bases one after the other.

"Shit," Annie screamed crawling along the ground, "What the fuck is that?"

Rush crouched over her, "I don't know, sounds like grenades."

There was a thump beside them, and Rush gasped yanking Annie from the ground and the explosion blew them from the floor onto the concrete rubble. They dropped to the floor with a loud crash and lay along the floor side by side. There was a long silence filling the air as the smoke cleared. Annie retched coughing out sitting up. Rush lay motionless on his side groaning very softly.

Annie sat up and grabbed Rush by the collar smacking at his face.

"Come back, man," she pleaded looking back, "Come back. Are you alive?"

She knelt her head down to his chest hearing for a heartbeat.

"I really don't want to blow your brains out, Rush. Come back."

"Shit...," Rush groaned.

"You're alive, thank god," she sighed relieved, "You have to get up."

"I can't," he coughed.

"Fuck," she sighed looking up anxiously. She couldn't see where the explosions were coming from, she just knew they had little time to figure out an escape plan as the foundation around them creaked signaling a surefire collapse at any moment if they didn't act quickly. It couldn't have been one of the zombies, no way in hell.

"Rush get up, or I'm taking your cockblockers and leaving you here," she warned.

"Bitch," he sighed forcing himself up.

"I knew that would work," she scoffed as held him in her arms and dragged him back to a corner. They slid behind a pillar waiting for the explosions to stop.

"What is that?" he asked shaking his head.

"I don't know," she looked back panting, "Whatever it is has good aim." He grunted forcing himself into coherency and he crawled beside her looking back.

"I got you now, you cunt!" a voice screamed in the distance.

"So, it's not a zombie," she observed.

"And they're not friendly."

"You think they're nomads?"

"If so, take your guns out and beg for sweet mercy."

"That's not funny."

"The weird thing is that wasn't a joke."

"What do I do?" she asked.

"Answer back."

"Who the fuck are you?" she screamed.

"I been tracking you for miles, bitch!" he screamed in the distance, "I got you and that nigger on my sight!"

"The KKK?" Rush asked confused, "They're still around?"

She shrugged.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm not your friend, bitch!" he replied.

"I figured that out, Einstein," she explained, "Tell me who you are."

"You don't remember?" he asked, "You ruined my fucking life you Italian bitch!"

"The zombies ruined our lives," she explained, "I don't see how I could have made things worse without eating you."

"You're Italian?" asked Rush.

"I'm from the Ukraine, why does that matter?" She barked, Rush shrugged.

"You, and your buddies killed my girlfriend!" he said.

"What?" Rush asked her.

"I don't know-uh-who the fuck...? I..." She looked over, "I never killed anyone before this all started, asshole."

"You and your posse got me and my crew killed a few months back," he barked, "My girl... she was bitten during that big romp!"

"Ohhhh!" she whispered in a long groan of realization leaning her head back surprised, "Jesus Christ!"

"Ringing bells all of a sudden?" asked Rush.

"Shit," she nodded in disbelief, "It can't be."

"You killed his girlfriend?"

"No," she explained, "Before I had the "Midnight Rider" he and his friends were following the owners of the tank across the country. Me and a few others were being held hostage by some limp cock sucker named Raimi and his boys. I was pulled down, but Raimi and his shit head friends opened fire and got his friends eaten."

"How long ago was that?" asked Rush.

"Six or seven months, I think."

"Shit," Rush exclaimed, "He can hold a grudge."

"That wasn't my fault!" she announced, "I didn't even open fire! I was a hostage! All I did was sit and watch!"

"It don't matter much to me," he barked, "You were with them, and I'm going to make you pay, you cunt. You and that nigger!"

"There's no black guy with me moron! He died a long time ago!"

"Well then good! You'll die all alone."

"He didn't see me?" Rush whispered.

"Maybe you could sneak up on him," Annie declared.

"I could try."

"Shit man, look at where we are!" she argued, "You're doing this _**now**_?"

"I'm going to cave this place in and leave you for those meat munchers, just like you did with us."

"Shit," Rush groaned, "He has the exit sealed, I don't know if he has a gun, and who knows how many of those grenades he has on him."

"Ross and the others aren't in ear shot either," she sighed grabbing her bloody forehead, "What do we do?"

"We either beg for mercy, kiss the concrete, or fire back," Rush explained.

"I'm for the third," she declared.

"Alright," he sighed. He turned and shot at a rapid fire pace splashing bullets along the rubble, Annie jumped out from behind Rush and fired off the AK-47 into the darkness and listened to the silence as the echoes died down.

"We're giving away our location," Rush warned, "If those things hear us..."

"Let me out and we can talk!" Annie said.

Another object flew from out of the light, and Rush gasped tackling Annie. The grenade rolled over to the corner and blew splashing dirt and grime onto them.

"Fuck, we're motherfucking screwed," Annie groaned. A shot rang out in the distance and there was a long silence. Rush turned looking back and crouched down. "Rush? Annie?"

"That's Ross!" Annie exclaimed.

"Come on, come on!" he grabbed her from the ground and leading her from the hole. They climbed over the rubble and slid onto the ground. Ross stood with his gun drawn over the biker.

"Jesus Christ, you're a sight," Rush groaned.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked pointing down.

"I think," she replied dabbing at her bloody forehead.

"Don't shoot," the biker groaned holding his chest.

"That's him?" asked Rush.

Annie turned to him and stood over him. She nodded. Rush lurched forward jamming his foot in to the biker's face violently. The biker cried out clutching his nose.

"How's that feel, fuck face?" Rush yelled staggering back.

"I'm sorry that happened," Annie muttered.

"The fuck you are," he groaned panting, "You killed her... she got sick and turned... and bit a lot of the crew... I'm all that's left."

"I'm sorry," Annie replied, "What Raimi and those shit heads did... it wasn't my fault. We were hostages, you know. You would have killed us."

"Cheap shot," he groaned looking over at Ross, "Cheap shot."

He reached down at his holster and they raised their guns in unison to him.

"Keep your hand where we can see them!" Ross ordered, "Put your hands down!"

"Just kill me," he pleaded, "I don't want to be one of them..."

Annie nodded and reached for her gun. He closed his eyes frightened. She pressed the trigger firing one into his head and holstered her pistol. She turned and jumped to Ross kissing him deeply and stood back much to their surprise. She stepped back smirking.

"Thank you."

Ross gazed stunned and nodded.

"How did you find us?" asked Annie.

"I heard the explosions, and you guys trying to bargain with him, and I snuck up on him before he could throw out another at you," Ross explained, "Are you guys okay?"

"Not really," Rush groaned grabbing his head, "Goddamn it, it's been a bad fucking four years."

"We've had a horrible streak of luck," Ross scoffed.

"I'm sorry," Annie said.

"Not your fault, babe," replied Rush, "It happens... I think."

"Thanks for everything."

"It's fine," Rush nodded, "Where's my fucking kiss?"

"Alright," she chuckled pecking him on the lips.

Ross walked over and grabbed his large box of grenades beside him.

"You guys look in tact, thankfully," Ross observed, "Let's go back to the tank and get you guys fixed, okay?"

He led them off. Annie held Rush, and they limped off behind Ross.

"Who was Raimi, anyway?" asked Rush.

"No one but a low life piece of shit nomad who deserved what he got," she declared looking back at the dead biker, "They _**all**_ did."


	12. Eleven: Shop & Drop

"How's Rush?" Annie asked.

"He's seen better days I'm sure, but that blast took the hell out of him," Ana explained. Ross grumbled to himself sitting down along the bench and looked over at Rush who sat in the corner with about as much of a patch up job as Ana could afford with old supplies they'd stolen.

"He's not going anywhere any time soon," Annie warned.

"That's your final word?" Ross asked.

"At the end of the day this is my bitch," Annie declared, "And I say he stays."

"Then that's that."

"Hey, he saved my life, okay?"

"I wasn't arguing with you," Ross replied.

"He took a grenade for me and risked going deaf. Can you imagine going deaf in this environment? Might as well put a gun to your mouth and blow."

"You run the show here," Ross replied, "My problems with him obviously aren't as relevant as what happened between you two out there."

"What did happen between you two out there?" Ana asked.

"We just learned things about one another," she explained, "And I say he's not a bad guy, he really isn't."

"I can still scavenge," Rush assured them, "And My hearing is just fine. I just took a little beating out there is all."

"We're going to scavenge a nearby supermarket I found," Annie warned, "

"What, it wasn't enough what we found?" Rush asked.

"We lost the loot in the explosions, sweet cheeks," Annie shrugged.

"Perfect."

"It's a very closed off quarter of a neighborhood, and we need some supplies. We're running low on rations."

"Who's heading there?" Rush asked standing.

"Cally, and Ross will be out there while Ana and I will be waiting in here. You can head up the operation-"

"-What's that?" Ross asked annoyed.

"You heard her," Rush chortled.

"He has the most guns," Annie shrugged, "And he knows how to scavenge better than any of us do."

"The question is... can he do it in his condition?" Ana asked.

"He can," Rush replied, "He is hungry."

"You have ten minutes," Annie said to them, "Is that enough?"

"More than enough time," Ross nodded. Cans fell in to the karts as Rush shot down two wanderers and rushed along the aisles brushing cans in to the karts one after the other while Ross stood by the doorway looking out on to the safe zone.

"Are you almost done?" Ross asked.

"Just about!" Rush said rushing along the floor as Cally followed after swiping two other wanderers in the distance with finesse and looking up at the store mirrors noticing any wanderers had been dispersed by Rush's quick draw and alert ears.

"Come on, come on, come on," Ross insisted.

"Ready," Rush declared charging out of market with two karts in tow. The cans flew in to the entrance of the tank as they hurried passing the bags and buckets along dropping them in to the tank.

"We have a few weeks worth here."

"And no can openers," Ross replied.

"There," Rush flicked a can opener to him, "Now shut up and get to collecting."

"We're making a lot of noise," Ana groaned looking down at the flying cans.

"We're going quick, Cally get ready to jump the haul," Rush warned. Rush turned firing one off, then two, and then three, and then suddenly the growls emerged startling the trio as Ross climbed up looking out on to a horde of the dead coming in from the freeway knocking down everything in their paths.

"Rush, run!" Ana screamed.

"Cally!" Ross called as Cally ran off near the cars swiping in to the crowds.

"Ross get in-!" Ana yelled pulling him by the arms.

"But-!"

"-Now!" Ana screamed. He climbed back inside as Rush ran down the street past wanderers and saw the horde coming his way quickly, all dead set on his scent. "Shit!" He waved the tank over and saw Annie wide eyed nodding and confusingly looking for a way to apprehend him and Cally at the same time.

"Up! Get up on the fucking tank!" Ana yelled behind Annie. Ross drop kicked two puss heads as Rush ran in to the jewelry shop downing two dead heads and barricading the doors with metal poles along the floor. He panted turning and came faced to face with three of them. He parted backing up and heard the crunch of the door behind him finally shooting down the trio with ease and hurried away from the door.

"Oh fuck me, oh fuck me!" Rush panted.

"He's stuck!" Ross yelled climbing down, "Cally is pinned down, too!"

"Where did the horde come from?" Annie asked.

"Come on brat," Annie mumbled to herself, "I know you can get out of this."

Rush panted leaning against the counter and turned looking around for an exit.

Cally swiped through the crowds and dropped down crawling under the truck as Ross blasted his way through the crowds clinging to the haul. Rush barricaded the doors looking out on to the glass doors bombarded by the dead who banged and slammed to get in to him. Suddenly it came to him. He covered his face shooting the display cases and grabbed the diamonds by the handfuls. He climbed up along the display case and clutched the diamond between his thumb and pointer scraping it along the skylight. He swiped once, then twice, and a third time smashing the glass with ease and jumped up as the doors came crashing down. He took another leap and climbed as he felt the hands of many of the dead clutching his ankles. He cried out kicking at them and slid out dropping in to the roof.

He panted feeling for bites and rushed down to the ledge looking down at the tank. Ross looked up from the pod ladder and waved him down.

"Are you okay?" Ross yelled.

"I've seen better days, man."

"Come on, I got you."

"You better catch me!"

"Come on before they crowd the haul!"

Rush took a leap of faith dropping down on to the haul and before they could crowd the tanks climbed the pod climbing down after Ross.

"We're going back for Cally!" Rush ordered.

"Speed it through the opening of the crowds," Ross said looking down in to the pod. Rush popped one, two, and three in the heads, and continued shooting in to the crowds as they parted ways. Ross fired off the rifle in to the parked jeep blowing it in to the air as the crowds set rushing toward the fires, splitting along the heat and charred flesh that could be smelled from miles away. Rush jumped to the floor with a grunt and yanked Cally by the ankles pulling him out as he panted looking up at him in horror. "No chopping!" Rush ordered clutching his hand down in to his sword, "Come on!" Rush turned with Cally on his back and jumped on to the haul fighting off the dead as Cally jumped on to the haul and chopped through the fiending hands while Rush climbed on next to him watching him slice them apart.

"Come on, brat!" Rush yelled amidst the loud growls and fires blazing. Cally turned running down the ladder as Rush followed after slamming the lid down on to them brushing away the smells and sounds of their environment.

"Oh thank god!" Annie sighed hugging Cally tightly, "Thanks guys."

"The kids nearly chopped my fucking fingers off," Rush grumbled.

"Did you get bitten or scratched?" Ana asked inspecting the men.

"We're fine doll face," Rush panted.

"We got the loot at least," Annie shrugged embracing Cally.

"We almost got mauled to death," Ross grumbled.

"I'm sorry-"

"-I think it's about time we re-think your safe zones once and for all," Ross declared, "Who knows what other safe zone is infested with them?"

"I hate to say it but... Ross is right," Ana observed.

"Fine," Annie frowned disheartened, "We'll be more careful before we camp out for the night, okay?"

They nodded in unison.

"Was that a fucking trip or what?" Rush panted.

"How the fuck did you get out of there?" Annie asked rolling over piles of corpses. He flicked a large diamond at her as she cradled it and gasped wide eyed.

"Holy shit," Ana exclaimed.

"That thing saved my life, save it for later, what do you say?"

"You don't have to tell me twice, baby," Annie chuckled holding the diamond between her fingers, kissing it passionately. She tossed it over to Ana who chortled in awe at the diamond's girth cradling it between her palms.

"We have enough supplies to last us a few weeks," Rush declared sitting by the ladder with an exhausted groan.

"Three weeks if we ration the food," Ross corrected.

"Aw, what's the fun in that?" Rush asked.

"I'm serious. I think it's a good idea if we ration the food."

"We always ration the food," Ana replied, "It prevents more mishaps like that."

"That's some fancy foot work I saw out there, Cally," Rush acknowledged.

Cally blushed soaking in the compliment.

"I think that's a 'no sweat' from him," Ana smirked.

"I'm going to take a nap," Rush sighed leaning his head back along the ladder looking at the circle of light seeping in from the lid, "Wake me when this shit is all one big nightmare, what do you say?"

"If only, love," Ana smirked, "If only."

They drove on through the road for hours plowing the puss heads as usual and before they knew it a lone figure emerged from the road running out at them and banging along the haul. They went on for three yards hearing the person scream, running up beside them and pounding on the haul until finally the tank stopped and the engine died down. The figure lurched back calling out, "Take me with you! Hello?" The tank pulled forward. She ran after it screaming and stopped watching it slow down. There was a slight silence and Annie emerged from the top drawing her gun looking down at a young girl cloaked in a green robe and hood looking up at her.

Her face of hope fell to fright and she stood back holding her hands up, "Whoa. Okay, Okay, don't shoot me."

"Drop your gun," Little Annie replied. She unhooked her rifle dropping it to the floor and held her hands up, "Don't shoot me, please. I thought y'all were the military. Just don't shoot."

"You're unarmed," Annie replied, "I'm not going to shoot you. Who are you?"

"I'm just a traveler," she explained with a slight Southern twang, "I don't have anything you can take. All I have are these clothes, and this gun which is almost out of bullets. Please... don't take my gun, I'm as good as dead without it."

"Are you alone?"

"Fuck! Fuck! I always fall for this!" She grunted kicking at the floor, "I'm so goddamn stupid!"

"Relax a little."

"Alright," she scoffed nervously, "Just-look-I'll just take my gun, and leave. I'm sorry for bothering you, I-I'm sorry- I'm going-" She grabbed her gun from the floor and ran off. Annie lowered her gun and looked down, "Ross, I need your help here." The girl ran up ahead quickly rushing by the tank and began to speed down the road running as fast as she could, but her weary body only took her a yard away and she heavily panted looking back in the distance. She heard the motor power up and the tank sped down the road driving up beside her. This alarmed her and she rushed alongside it growing anxious.

"Hey!" Ross called, "You!"

She stopped and stood back frightened, "Look, don't kill me! I'm going! Just leave me alone! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He noticed her Southern accent.

"No, no, don't go!" He gave a smile and climbed out standing along the haul, "Hey, wait I just want to talk."

She stopped and looked back at him.

"Where are you from?"

"Stop following me!" she pleaded stomping her foot, "I don't want to be bothered! All I got is this gun and clothes, alright? I don't have food on me! I'm sorry!"

"Relax, I'm not going to touch you," he assured her, "I'm fifteen feet away from you. Where are you from?"

"The South, okay? The South."

"You walked all the way from the South?" he asked surprised.

"Actually, I drove most of the way," she explained walking ahead, "And then walked for the rest. Are you a soldier or something?"

"I used to be, sure," he declared, "What say we finish this conversation inside, where it's safe?"

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, "You take me in there, and you and your buddies gang rape me and dump me on the side of the road to be eaten. I'm young but I ain't stupid."

"I'm not going to touch you," he assured her, "I just want to get you off the road."

"I bet you do, asshole," she replied.

"I'm offering you safety," he insisted, "I'm not going to hurt you. It's safe and warm here, I don't want to leave you behind and have it on my conscience."

She stopped walking and looked up at him. She gave a huff.

"Listen, that's a good offer, and I appreciate it. I'm sure you're trying to help, but if it's all the same, I'm just going to go on my way."

"I'm not a nomad," he blurted, "I promise. I mean you no harm. None of us do."

"Us?" she asked, "Who's us?"

"I and a group of people in the tank. We have room for you inside, if you want. Are you sick?"

"No," she nodded with a sigh.

"We have a nurse who can check you."

"No thank you."

"Are you hungry?"

"No," she replied with a break in her voice unable to hide her exhaustion, "I'm really tired."

"How long you been walking?"

"None of your business."

"Come on, kid," he said, "I'm offering you safety here." She stood in the road thinking and decided to take the chance. Two of the dead shambled out from the side drawing attention to her presence.

"So? What's your decision?"

"Uh-," she looked over alarmed, "Fine, fine, I'll go with you."

She ran up to the haul and held her hands out. Ross grabbed her and pulled up to him beside him.

"Come on," he said with an inviting smile.

"You first," she replied with a grimace. He shrugged and climbed back down in to the pod, as she followed climbing down after him. Ross climbed down in to the cockpit and stood back. The group all stood up in anticipation watching the shadow descend downward and she appeared before them standing back in to a corner looking out at all of them with a grimace and wide weary eyes.

"H-Hello," Ana said.

She stood silently looking over to Ross.

"I'm Ross Paige," he shook her dirt covered hand, "That's Rush, Ana, at the cockpit, that's Annie, we call her Little Annie."

Annie waved from behind driving the tank.

"What's your name?" asked Ana.

She unhooded herself revealing her long blonde hair and gave a somber smile, "Zoe. My name's Zoe." She drew her gun, "Put your fucking hands up."


	13. Twelve: Not a Girl Who Misses Much

"Are you kidding me?" Annie exclaimed raising her hands.

"All of you," Zoe demanded, "Now!"

They raised their hands, Rush gave her a once over furrowing his brows.

"You too, asshole," she demanded.

"No."

She cocked the rifle, "I will blast you without hesitation, asshole. Do it!"

"Alright," he grumbled noticing her anxious finger pressing on the trigger.

"Stay back," she warned.

"Good job, Ross," Rush said holding his hands up.

"Shut up," Ross replied.

"Put the gun down," Ana asked.

"I know you're going to kill me," she said, "So I'm going to do it before you. Then I'm taking this tank and the food."

"Over my dead body," Annie chuckled.

"Let's find out!" Zoe screamed.

"Annie, please shut up," Ana exclaimed.

"I meant what I said," Ross declared, "We're not going to hurt you."

"Just put the gun down," Annie ordered.

Cally held his sword anxiously. Zoe turned to him.

"No, don't!" Annie yelled lurching forward, "Please! He's just a kid!"

"Take your fucking fingers off the knife or I'm going to shoot, kid."

Cally dropped the sword stepping back.

"Drop all of your goddamn weapons at my feet," Zoe barked, "And back off, I'm taking this tank!"

"You're shooting me first," Annie muttered.

"Wait, wait, everybody calm down and relax, she's not going to fire," Rush said.

"How do you know, smart guy?" asked Zoe.

"Look at you, you can barely stand," he noticed her struggling to hold her gun up, "Can you even see straight? What are you going to do keep us at gun point the whole way? No one can do that. And besides you're cornered and outnumbered. Even if you got a shot off we'd be on you and pin you down before you even fought back." She sneered angrily pausing. "Look, just put the gun down and we'll forget this happened."

She looked over at them, her bloodshot eyes observing them and she sighed trying to hold up her rifle. Her sneer melted in to a frown.

"Promise?" she asked meekly.

"We're not going to hurt you," Ana assured her.

She dropped it with a sigh and leaned against the wall.

They gave a collective sigh and sat down.

"Oh god," she groaned wearily, "I'm sorry."

"How old are you?" asked Rush.

"Twenty," she replied panting, "Twenty."

"Are you okay?" asked Rush.

"I'm just so tired," she whispered, "What are y'all-? I mean, who are you people? A rescue team?"

"No way," replied Rush, "The rescue teams need rescue teams."

"We're just survivors," Ana replied, "Just trying to get by here."

"How long have you been out there?" asked Ross.

"Two days," she scoffed, "I walked for two long days. It's brutal out there."

"Really?" asked Ana, "How the hell can you do that?"

"Ever hear the term, "You won't know until you try"?" she asked. Ana nodded, "Well, out there, I had no choice but to try. Winter is coming, those things are out there scattered, and there's not a shelter in sight... I've been keeping on the back roads only."

"Why's that?" asked Rush.

"There's not many of them on the roads," she explained, "I guess they know there's not a lot of people on it... from... what I've seen the danger zones are cities... major high ways, and... basically any public area, be it a public library or... or... port-o-potty. I haven't slept in two days... I just started walking and walking and walking, until... I found y'all."

"We're not murderers or nomads," Ross declared, "We're just people looking to survive like you."

"Well, I don't know that for sure," she declared, "But I'll take your word for it."

"Want to sit down?" asked Rush.

"Yes," she rushed to the end of the tank. She leaned against the wall and slowly dropped down with a very long and loud exhausted groan. Annie looked back with a remorseful glance while Zoe finally fell to the floor in an almost whimper of relief. "My god," she groaned rubbing her knees, "It's utterly amazing how sitting has become a luxury these days... I haven't... sat for more than five minutes in months."

"You just walked?" Ana asked.

Zoe nodded rubbing her knees, "I got... delirious at one point... I'm just walking... down this neighborhood... and three of them are following me... and I just turned... and started screaming at them..." she licked her lips panting anxiously, "I just started yelling at them... to stop... for one goddamn minute... to leave me alone... and... they just... wouldn't stop walking after me... I had to run and lost them... eventually... I don't remember much after that... I..." she groaned rubbing her ankles.

"So, Zoe," Ross asked, "Where are you from?"

"A small town," she reached for her boots, "In the South. I don't even remember the name of the town anymore... all I remember is my family and the people there were being run down by those things... and my brother got me and him out of there before the shit hit the fan... the people there were playing with those things... and some of them were even bitten and didn't even know what the hazards were."

She grunted tearing off her boots with a loud moan and tore off her socks wiggling her toes with utter relief she didn't bother to restrain in front of them. "Oh," she groaned, "God bless you people."

"Did you have anyone else with you?" Ross asked.

"Nope," she closed her eyes, "Nope... I lost a lot of people back there, sir... most of all, my brother... _**worst**_ of all my brother... My daddy owned a gun shop back then, and my brother packed me and him up, a shit load of fire power, and we booked it... we would have taken our neighbor, too, but he was bitten," she leaned her head against her rifle and gazed down with sadness, "My brother, though... he was... my best friend..." She looked up at them and leaned her head back, "When he turned... I killed him... miraculously escaped a group of those things... and I've been surviving on my lonesome ever since."

"You lost your brother?" asked Rush.

"Yes," she nodded somberly, "He was a few years older than me.. and we got the fuck out of dodge before those things became the population... I mean... he knew about all of this before I did... I wanted to stay back home and ride it out... but he literally forced me to leave... You know?"

"He sounds like a smart guy," replied Ana.

"He was smarter than I was," she nodded forcing a smile looking up to the heavens, "By a long shot... I was never too bright out there... He was going to be a doctor... and I was destined for small town life as this bubble head... if lucky."

"He saved you, though," replied Ross, "He's a real hero."

"We all lost a lot of good heroes, sir," she replied.

"That's right," he replied.

"And people who should be alive right now... I shouldn't even be here... my brother did it all, and I just cried a lot... and followed him where ever he wanted to go... it's not fair, really... and there's nothing to honor them... but I have no doubt... we're in hell... It's out there beyond these walls."

"What have you been doing?" asked Ana.

"Just hiding out in gutters, raiding general stores... you'd be surprised how far you can go on snack cakes, and water. I used to find abandoned cars, and spray paint the windows black."

"Someone give her some water, please," Annie muttered looking back.

Ross tossed a bottle to Cally and he handed it to Zoe. She opened it and smelled shaking it around suspiciously.

"It's just water," Ana replied, "I swear."

She nodded in recognition and took long anxious gulp panting relieved.

"Thank you," Zoe panted gulping the water.

"Why did you spray paint the windows?" asked Ross.

"The smell of the paint threw them off my scent," she explained wiping her mouth, "The covered windows kept me out of sight... and as long as I was quiet... I'd be there for a good two days. It was just an experiment but I pulled it off for a good seventeen miles until they wised up. Those things... they catch on to you. I finally knew they were catching on when one day I woke up and found them surrounding the car."

They stirred in their seats, "What happened?" asked Rush.

"I don't know how the hell I did it, but I squeezed out from the skylight and blinded them with spray paint," she chuckled, "The ones with eyes, though. And I just fought my way out. That's when I decided, it was gutters from there on in. Funny thing is, though, they don't even scare me anymore. Is that wrong?"

"I don't know," Rush replied, "They don't scare me either."

"I mean it's like getting stung by a bee," she explained, "You know it has to happen sometime. You're dreading it, but-you know, you'll accept it when it comes."

"You don't mind being torn up or bitten?" asked Annie.

"Oh, I mind," she explained, "But it's not like I'm going to live forever. I just accept it's going to happen sooner or later. Can't always hit a seven."

"What did you do, then?" asked Ana.

"Well," she groaned massaging her feet, "I was... a high school student, and just worked at my dad's store every other day... I didn't see myself going any further beyond having some kids and dying by my lonesome... What about you guys?"

"Rush was a gunrunner," Annie quickly explained, "Ana was a nurse, Ross was a lieutenant, and this big bitch is mine." She scoffed.

Zoe gave an embarrassed smirk, "Well... I'm not as useful as everyone else. But I can try to do my best... truth be told... I didn't even expect to live this long..."

"A lot of us think that," Annie declared.

"Do you know how to fire that thing?" asked Ross.

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm a great shot with this... I used to be a hunter... It was... the only thing I was really good at, actually... If that means anything."

"Well, you're going to help us out a lot, then," Ross assured her.

"Well, good," she muttered, she looked over at Cally who scanned her over and over suspiciously, "Who's he?"

"That's Cally," Ana replied, "He doesn't talk, but he's amazing with the sword. He's not too kind to new people."

Zoe reached into her cloak and pulled out a half eaten bar of chocolate, "Want some?" she waved it to him. Cally gave a gasp and grabbed it devouring it hungrily.

"Well, so much for that," Rush scoffed.

"I've been living off of chocolate for a month," she closed her eyes leaning her head back, "Not a lot of nutritional value, but its good..."

"I know you're not too trusting of us, yet," Ross explained, "But, we-"

Ana stopped him and pointed over to her. Zoe had already fallen off to sleep with her head slumped down and sighed. Cally held his sword up but Rush grabbed him and held his hands down, "Cool it, brat. She's just asleep. She's not dead."

Rush looked over to her and slid beside her. He leaned her back and slowly lay her down onto the floor. She gave a light snore as he covered her with her cloak and sat back down, "Pretty girl," he said.

"Poor thing," Ana said, "She really hasn't slept, I can't blame her for dozing off."

"We'll leave her be until she wakes up," Ross said, "She doesn't look like a danger to me, to be honest."

"She seems nice," Rush declared turning her on her side.

"Nice enough," Ana replied.

"Nice enough?" asked Rush, "If she wanted to hurt us, she wouldn't have fallen asleep here."

"Do you mind?" asked Ross.

"Mind what?" Little Annie asked.

"We could use her to help us," Ross replied.

"Why are you asking me?" she asked, "Just because I have the tank doesn't mean I'm a leader. I think you're the unofficial squad commander, if you ask me."

"I doubt it," Ross chuckled.

"Oh come on," Annie argued, "You've been leading us from the get go. To be honest, I don't mind much. We could have had much worse. And if we're going to have a leader it may as well be you."

"Well," he sighed, "Okay."

"So, what's your decision, boss?" she smirked.

"She looks harmless," Ross deduced, "But she says she's great with the rifle."

"That remains to be seen," Annie argued, "At this point she'd probably say she's a nuclear scientist to stay."

"That's a great point. But I still think we should keep her around."

"It never hurts to have extra people around to hunt. If she can't shoot, we'll find something for her to do. Oh and you can order me around, but if you touch my tank-I'm taking you down."

With the unofficial pact between them all, Zoe was now apart of their troop. Three women, and three men, all packed in together in the tank. She'd managed to survive ever since her Tommy's death, and did so adamantly beyond her slim odds.


	14. Thirteen: Hey Man, Nice Shot

She had walked for two days straight without stopping and she was more tired than she imagined. She'd not been changed much from the experiences, and for twenty-four hours, she slept and slept, and finally awoke with a gasp. She turned holding her gun up and saw Annie sitting at the cockpit. She heard gunshots in the distance and attempted to stand up, "Ann-!" she sighed attempting to force herself up.

"Hey," Annie said looking back, "Welcome back, girl."

"Where-? Wha-?" she said wearily.

"You're safe," she assured her, "All the others went to scavenge. They would have invited you, but they left you to sleep."

She rubbed her eyes and finally stood up with a wince, "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize to me," Annie assured her, "I'm resting my ass, too. But Cally nearly chopped your head off a few times thinking you'd died."

"Jesus," she gasped holding her neck, "He's with them?"

"Yep."

She gasped grabbing her gun.

"Relax," Annie assured her.

"You don't go with them?" she asked.

"No way," she replied, "I'm back up. Besides, no one drives this thing but me."

"You people," she groaned sitting beside her, "Are nice to me. Even after what I did to you."

"When you did what to us?" she smiled.

Zoe chuckled, "I appreciate it."

"Chalk it up to ol' blue eyes," Annie said.

"Ross?" she asked.

"Yeah," she smirked, "He's a good guy, trust me. Rush is a flirt, but he's alright, Ana is not my favorite person but she and Ross are like Ken and Barbie, and Cally is great. You're going to be alright."

"Yeah, Ross is cute," she exclaimed, "But Rush is really hot."

"Rush is not hard to look at," Annie chuckled, "But with Ross, I'd just-" she looked over to Zoe, "-Let's just say it's been a while, and I'm antsy. The finger only gets you so far."

Zoe gave a laugh leaning back.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Me?" Zoe said, "I'm still a virgin."

"Jesus," Annie nodded, "I got popped when I was fifteen."

She handed her a canteen of water. Zoe smelled it.

"It's just water, I promise."

Zoe gulped it down endlessly.

"Yes, ma'am," Zoe panted wiping the water from her mouth, "I just never got around to it."

"So," Annie whispered, "If you could do one of them, who would it be?"

"Why pick one?" Zoe joked, "But, I'd pick Rush."

"Really?"

"I love that criminal type. And the clothes... Mmm. And that scar is so damn cute. I'd do nasty things with him."

Annie chortled.

"But you're really pretty. You must be having a hard time picking between the two-hey, I know where I know you're from! You're Little Annie! Yeah, from Blackout!"

"Used to be, focus on the past tense," she replied.

"Wow," Zoe sighed, "That's amazing. I bought all your albums, I mean-you were so bad-ass. I remember when you walked off TRL that time and nearly knocked Carson Daly on his ass, I was just-I worshipped you."

"You're too kind," Annie laughed.

"God damn, that tough girl thing wasn't an act," Zoe said, "Look at you."

"Would you like some mouthwash?" she asked.

"God, yes," she said.

"Just take this and spit it out outside from the ladder," she handed her the bottle.

"Thanks," she muttered grabbing the bottle, "Have you ever been so tired, that you don't actually fall asleep, you just lose consciousness?"

"Yeah," she chuckled, "It happens to me a lot, these days."

"I have to admit, though," Zoe said, "In spite of the hard floor, that was the best night's sleep in weeks."

"It's cramped but cozy," she declared.

"How long was I asleep, anyway?"

"I'd say about three days."

"What?"

"Yep," Annie scoffed. "And it's a good thing you're not a snorer."

A large bag dropped to the floor with a thunderous boom startling Zoe who jumped from her seat in fright. Annie looked over unphazed, "Hey!" she looked back with a triumphant smile, "Good find today?"

"Great find!" Rush replied climbing down, "We got food, we got water, and we have deodorant!"

He looked over to Zoe who was holding her chest and panting,

"Oh," he grinned embarrassed, "Did I scare you kid?"

"A-little," she panted.

"Shit, I'm sorry about that," he tore off his gloves with his teeth, "I get a little excited sometimes. It's not everyday we have deodorant, eh?"

"It's okay," she nodded still shook up.

"Oh, shit!" Annie knelt down rummaging through the bag, "This is great!"

"Ross and Ana are still looking around the store we found," he explained, "Cally is trying to find some of those shit heads to chop up."

"Did you run into any of them?" asked Annie.

"Five," he replied, "But we made quick work of them."

"He's crazy," Zoe said surprised.

"He's a kid," Rush replied, "Hey, welcome back, though. You slept a lot."

"Thanks," she replied.

Rush tore the cap from the deodorant and sprayed creating a thick cloud in the cabin. Annie and Zoe coughed violently, waving away. Rush smiled sighing.

"Look, canned peaches!" Annie exclaimed in awe choking over the cloud, "Aw, you got the generic brand."

"I'll ask the distributor to get the fancy shit tomorrow," Rush replied.

"Shut up," Annie sighed, "It'll do, I guess."

"Head's up!" Ross yelled from above. Rush and Annie stepped back. Three large black bags plopped down on to the floor loudly and they climbed back down.

"This is the best find in months," Annie declared bending over, "This is unbelievable."

"Yes," Rush gazed down at her behind, "It's _**unbelievable**_."

Zoe grinned amused.

"I'm going to cut your eyes out," Annie groaned looking back.

"What a last sight before I go blind, though. I could..."

"-Just back off horn dog."

"How long were you with them?" asked Zoe.

"I picked them up about four months ago," Annie replied.

"These fuckers kidnapped me a month ago," Rush joked.

"He's lying," Annie argued, "We saved scarface here from death."

"And now she wants me," Rush grinned smacking her butt. She yelped elbowing him in the gut as he chuckled groaning.

"Here comes Ana," Rush said looking up in awe, "My, my what a rump on that nurse. Every time I stand here, I keep hoping she's going to fall and land on my face with that." Annie pushed him back playfully.

"Hey!" Ana said noticing Zoe, "You're awake. You probably feel rested."

"I'm almost as good as new," she replied, "But I'm kind of groggy."

"Good," Ross replied, "Because we may need you tomorrow to help us. More eyes can't hurt. Do you mind?"

"Sure," she assured him, "Sounds... fun?"

"Sometimes," Ana joked.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Ross asked, "It gets sketchy, and we're going to be scavenging for shelter, and more food."

"I can do it, sir," she insisted, "Don't worry."

"Good," Ross smiled looking her over, "Call me Ross, from now on."

"Okay," she smirked, "Ross."

"Dick head usually works for me," replied Rush.

"You heard him, folks," Annie replied, "He said dick works for him."

"You should come with us next time, Annie," Rush said, "We'll use you as bait."

"We used to use Cally," explained Ana, "But technically bait is supposed to stand there and not cut things-"

"-Cally would start slashing like it was going out of style," Rush replied.

"He got too scared?" asked Zoe.

"No," replied Annie, "He just really likes to kill them."

Cally smiled nodding.

"Well," Ana said, "We have dinner tonight. We left you sleeping for as long as you could. I mean, we didn't see a point in waking you for no reason."

"I appreciate it," Zoe announced, "Really."

"Welcome aboard," Ross declared.

"Is anything aching?" asked Rush.

"My legs," she replied, "But mostly my feet. They're still pretty damn swollen."

"Out here," Ross explained, "Your feet are your most important asset. If you're not able to walk, you're as good as dead. The two most prized assets you have right now are you gun and your feet. Just like when I was military."

"What were you?" she asked.

"A general shit head," Rush mocked.

"Lieutenant," he replied.

"I've been taking care of them," Zoe explained, "But two days non-stop is damaging though." She forced herself up and staggered pass them cringing. She dropped down along her spot and looked up. They began rummaging through the find.

"Aspirin, deodorant, mouth wash, and food," Annie said, "This is great, guys."

"And for our guest," Ross said. He tossed a box to her much to her surprise. "What's this?" she asked turning it.

"They're 30 Caliber," Rush explained, "I found a gun shop around the corner."

"Really?" asked Annie.

"Yeah," he explained, "We should raid it in a little while."

"They're the right fit, right?" asked Rush.

"Yep," she nodded. She slipped out the bullets, quickly placed them into the rifle one after the other, and cocked it. "Ah, perfect."

"How many bullets did you have left?" asked Rush.

"Two," she shrugged.

"Well, use them well," Ross explained, "Tomorrow, we'll need that scope to come in handy."

"Yes, sir."

"Keep your feet clean at all times," he insisted, "We have to prepare for every possible occurrence, and every occurrence is possible."

"Gee, you should write a handbook," Rush quipped.

They chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up," Ross grumbled.

"All you gotta do is run and shoot," Rush declared.

"Without your feet you're nothing."

"Tell that to Annie."

"Hey, don't involve me in your sibling rivalry," she groaned.

"Can you actually shoot that?" asked Rush.

"Yes."

"Be honest with us," Ross insisted, "We can't take you out there and have you die on us for nothing."

"I can, I mean it," she insisted, "I can shoot well."

"I think we should test her," Annie suggested.

"Come on," Rush said walking to her. Rush crouched down along the haul of the tank, Ross stood up looking in the distance with both arms at his side, and Zoe stood with her rifle firmly in hand and looked around at the wasteland. It was a miserable sight to behold, but they had to be sure she could shoot.

"There," Rush said looking through binoculars, "The kid there about thirty yards away." She lifted the rifle up, leaned her head over, closed one eye, and looked through the scope. She was silent for a moment.

"Do you see him?" asked Ross.

"I do," she replied softly.

"Take him out," Rush declared. She shot, and the kid fell to the ground, as its brains blasted from the other end of its partially eaten skull.

"Fuck," Rush laughed.

She lowered it and sighed, "I barely saw it. Want more?"

"Yes," Rush scoffed.

She lowered her head aimed and rapidly took down four in the distance one after the other knocking them out of eye shot. She sat up cocking her rifle silently.

"God damn," Ross remarked.

"Do I pass?" she shrugged.

"God damn it," Rush smirked.

"Welcome aboard, Zoe," Ross smirked looking down at her.


End file.
